Can treasure-hunting be community participation? In fact, yes! And not just for pirates! Geocaching is a worldwide mobile scavenger hunt using coordinates to find and hide caches. Users identify a nearby cache on the phone application (app) or the website and use a GPS device to find the object (cache) hidden at the identified location. But what’s the treasure? Sometimes there are small trinkets hidden with the cache, but the real treasure is the opportunities it offers: the opportunity to join a worldwide network of people who participate in the activity; the opportunity to explore new places and places you thought you knew well; and the opportunity to get out and do something fun, among others!
Paige O’Sullivan is an avid geocacher, who wanted to share her love and expertise of the activity with others. Hunting better health outcomes: A geocaching toolkit for individuals with mental illnesses does just that. Learn about what geocaching is, the emerging science that explores outcomes, and how to identify ways to support others to start hunting treasure!