MKEQuest: An Introduction
Pathmakers kickoff: Jan 17, 2026
Put down the controller.
Enter the 31st most populous city in the USA.
Welcome to MKEQuest.
Game Background: I grew up in great public school classrooms in Milwaukee, and still, we learned far too little about our city. My adulthood has been a fantastic journey in that same hometown, seeking stories we were never told, pursuing the worthy city we knew was hiding. In our neighborhoods, we have so much that can ignite young Milwaukee minds and draw them closer to their world. But because the adults so often yawned or grumbled rather than wax pragmatic about our hometown, we assumed there was nothing much to learn.
Beginning when I was a student at Golda Meir Elementary, I was introduced to a Milwaukee that isn’t solely a phenomenal classroom — it’s a dojo, a laboratory and a temple. Perhaps our city isn’t always outfitted with the state of the art, but it is always a worthy place to learn. A place whose powers are most potent when shared. And because Milwaukee also exists in quantum states, Milwaukee can also feel like a cruel, barren wasteland, meanest to those it needs the most.
I did not seek Milwaukee’s story first in libraries, archives and books, because too many of Milwaukee’s most important stories go unpublished. I began on sidewalks and porches. In living rooms and third spaces. In workshops and galleries. In classrooms and board rooms. In church basements and downtown skyscrapers. In the obvious places of power and where it is whispered and bundled.
MKEQuest is a game based on the infinite possibilities of overlooked places, as well as my life in Milwaukee. And not just my own wandering path, but also the paths of Milwaukeeans I’ve seen create lives of true meaning in our beloved hometown. I’ve seen them pay attention, engage and care, earning lessons from our city, embodying this place without succumbing to it.
Maybe you already know what MKEQuest is, because you’ve been living it. Or maybe this sounds like an intriguing new adventure. Regardless, the mysteries of reality are beckoning. We’re excited for each page you turn.
The Game: MKEQuest is an open-ended, open-minded scavenger hunt for Milwaukee, inspired by paper and pencil role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. The platform is being developed alongside Project Kindred’s 2026 Pathmakers pilot, inviting young people into local experiences and community-driven learning.
Our intrepid adventurers begin with an MKEQuest binder and journal, their companions for the 2026 Pathmakers Campaign (named Between Ragnorak And A Hard Place). During each monthly session, players receive story updates, learning objectives and assignments to complete in the real world. Our young people can also engage in “open play,” following their own direction and side quests.
Org Background: Project Kindred (PK) is a youth-serving nonprofit with a legacy in afterschool programming and summer camp, now connecting Milwaukee’s youth development ecosystem through Navigators. Pathmakers is launching in 2026 as a Navigators pilot program, embracing civic engagement and youth leadership.
Early in our collaboration, PK invited me to work on an educational scavenger hunt inviting students to learn a ZIP code in depth. As we discussed, each time I had an idea that might be considered far out or too creative, that’s when my collaborator’s eyes lit up.
