Members of the JKA team complete a mission during the 2023 Goosechase scavenger hunt organized by the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County. SUBMITTED PHOTO
The chase is on.
Over the course of a week in August, teams of local players will criss-cross Johnson County completing missions, searching for clues and working together.
And while a bevy of prizes await the winners, organizers see the real treasure is an opportunity to build connections, make personal discoveries and have fun.
The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County has organized a Goosechase, a free app-based scavenger hunt. The experience will begin on Sunday and run through Aug. 24.
“Finding ways to build community, getting people engaged and connecting with people, that’s the goal. We’d love to see teams of family, neighbors, coworkers, classmates,” said Sara Kinder, a member of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County. “People can engage in something fun and maybe learn something about themselves or the community.”
Local residents are encouraged to create a team of two to six people and complete a series of missions at their own pace over the course of the week. Teams who finish all missions will be entered into a random drawing to win prizes, including packages featuring items from area eateries such as Antilogy and La Rosa Mexican Restaurant, and activities such as 10 Pins or a cookie decorating class.
“Our focus on the prizes is, we want the team to be able to do things together,” Kinder said. “They can share a meal, or they can have an experience.”
The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County is a community organization aiming at preventing suicide by mobilizing the community through education and use of resources to increase awareness and decrease stigma. Formed in 2019, local mental health officials were concerned about the damage suicide was doing throughout Johnson County.
According to an Indiana Department of Health report released in December, Johnson County had 23 people die by suicide in 2022, with a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 population. Across Indiana, 1,136 individuals died by suicide that year.
The coalition has worked diligently to educate the community about the risks and signs of potential self-harm, and hosted trainings, workshops and other events to spotlight the problem.
“The mission behind the coalition is efforts to prevent suicide, and that’s a really big ask. Sometimes, you have to just focus on smaller things that matter,” Kinder said.
The epidemic of loneliness is one of those more manageable aspects. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy issued an advisory in 2023, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” which stated that approximately half of adults in the United States experienced loneliness, with some of the highest rates among young adults.
Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of premature death by 26% and 29% respectively, according to the report.
More broadly, lacking social connection can increase the risk of premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, the report states.
“One side effect that we’re seeing from the pandemic is how our world shifted into a really digital format at that time and what connections because when people stopped seeing each other as much,” Kinder said.
The Goosechase continues a series of scavenger hunts organized by mental health advocates in the county. The scavenger hunt is hosted through the Goosechase app, which allows users to create and take part in unique interactive experiences.
Last year, Upstream Prevention, a local organization aimed at promoting public health, planned a community-wide wellness scavenger hunt called The CHASE. The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County also planned a fall Goosechase in 2023.
Kinder has also utilized Goosechase in her previous role at Franklin College.
“It’s just a really great way to connect people and provide a way to engage with one another as a community, in a fun digital way,” she said.
When the coalition was planning its initiatives for this year, Kinder suggested doing another Goosechase scavenger hunt. A key aspect was creating the event as a team experience.
“The goal is to get people to engage together and do something fun together as a team,” Kinder said.
To play, participants should download the Goosechase app on their smartphones, and either create a free account or participate as a guest. They can find this new hunt by using the code P8M8P8.
On Sunday, the first missions will emerge.
“The missions will have to do with just having fun together, while also reflecting on some wellness things for themselves and having conversations about that. And then they can have opportunities to share about things out in the community,” Kinder said.
Piggy-backing on the scavenger hunt is practical education aimed at preventing suicides.
“It’s just a way to connect people with each other out in the community, and doing so in a way to have fun and potentially work towards a really fun prize pack in the process,” Kinder said.
AT A GLANCE
Goosechase
What: A self-paced app-based scavenger hunt spanning Johnson County. People are invited to create a team and complete missions together at your team’s pace that week. Teams who finish all missions will be entered into a random drawing to win prizes.
Who: The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Johnson County, a Johnson County organization aiming to prevent suicide by mobilizing the community through education and use of resources to increase awareness and decrease stigma.
When: Sunday to Aug. 24
How to play
1. Download the Goosechase iOS or Android app
2. Log in. New to Goosechase? Sign up for an account or participate as a guest.
3. Search for this experience by code code P8M8P8.
4. Create a profile.
5. Set yourself apart with a name and photo, and have fun.
Visit the Suicide Prevention Coalition’s Facebook page at facebook.com/Hope4JohnsonCounty to learn more
