The urban scavenger hunt

When the fourth Little Travellers Photo Scavenger Hunt took place in June, Michael Holman jumped at the opportunity to do something different and raise money for charity. 

“We saw it as a great opportunity to run around Seoul, have some friendly competition, and feel good about raising money for a great charity,” he said. “Meeting people at a charity event is much different than meeting them anywhere else. Everyone is outgoing, in high spirits and eager to help out. I was able to meet and become great friends with some incredible people.” 

At the end of August, Little Travellers Korea will unleash participants on the unsuspecting people of Seoul to solve riddles, follow clues and complete tasks. It’s an “Amazing Race”-style challenge to raise awareness and money for the Hillcrest AIDS Center in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.  

Jenny Maxwell, a Little Travellers Korea organizer, said the August scavenger hunt has been planned because of the overwhelming response to the June hunt. Maxwell, 28, planned the second, third and fourth scavenger hunts with Ian Chiasson. “We use a combination of fun, education and competitiveness in the hunt,” said Maxwell. “There are facts about the organization and the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign that we tell you and you have to remember throughout the hunt in order to advance. Having a good map of Seoul and a T-Money card also helps!” 

For one part of the scavenger hunt, participants are given a riddle, the answer of which is a location in Seoul. They then go to the location and find the volunteer, who will give them their next challenge. Another challenge is a reading exercise sponsored by Groove Korea. Teams will get a list of questions and a copy of Groove to find the answers. Participants will be capped at 15 teams of four people.

Background

Little Travellers Korea raises money (49 million won to date) and a lot of awareness for the HIV/AIDS epidemic through events and workshops. Another goal is to break down the stigma of HIV/AIDS in modern Korean society so it eventually becomes part of common dialogue. They hand out flyers and free condoms in an effort to make people aware of the dangers of unprotected sex.

Little Travellers is part of the income-generation project at the Hillcrest AIDS Center in South Africa. It helps those in need by getting impoverished women to use their creativity to earn an income. 

A Little Traveller is a beautifully handcrafted beaded doll made by the women of the Hillcrest AIDS Center. They are sold through chapters in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and Korea.

Paula Thomson, the craft coordinator at Hillcrest, founded it in 2007. She made the prototypes and the women at the center started making them after that. 

They were originally just sold at flea markets and schools in the Hillcrest area, but they soon found themselves with orders from around the globe. 

Craig Kulyk founded Little Travellers Korea in 2007. After he visited Canada and met with the founder of the Canadian chapter, Kulyk figured he could start something in Korea. He brought some dolls back with him. 

To raise money, they also host an event called Rubber Seoul. The first event was held in 2008, and is now in its fifth year. 

“Little Travellers is important as it provides great volunteer opportunities in Korea, especially at our Rubber Seoul event, for both Koreans and expats to get involved in something global,” said Maxwell.

“I love the photo scavenger hunt,” Maxwell added. “I’d say it’s my favorite event of the year, although Rubber Seoul does come a close second after the success of the past three years and June’s massively popular events.” 

Colin Maheu participated on the team “Colin Is Only Here To Meet Girls” in the June scavenger hunt and said he will return as a volunteer in August.  

“I met some fantastic people and I learned more about the fight against AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Maheu. “The organizers wove lots of educational aspects into the event, and that was really great. I also met lots of girls.”

Register

The entry fee is 15,000 per person (5,000 won for a Little Traveller doll, 5,000 won for after-party food and a 5,000 won donation to Hillcrest AIDS Center). Contact korea@littletravellers.net or click here to find the event page on Facebook. 

After-party

The after-party takes place at Beer O’Clock in Sinchon. There will be food, drinks and pop quizzes to win prizes. Organizers expect north of 200 people. 

Want to volunteer?

Little Travellers Korea has volunteer opportunities throughout the year, and especially in December where they need upwards of 100 volunteers for Rubber Seoul. E-mail korea@littletravellers.net.