Editor’s Note: This post is part of our series celebrating our Guiding Stars, the Local Guides who went above and beyond to make a difference in 2020, on Google Maps and off. Read more here.
Many Local Guides joined and hosted meet-ups here on Connect and found other ways of staying in touch this year. These ten Guiding Stars went above and beyond to put the community first to make sure everyone is supported and connected, especially during a year when getting together in person was not always possible. Community Builders are often found on Connect, on YouTube, hosting a podcast, or at virtual keynotes. To celebrate these incredible Local Guides, we wanted to share the ways they stayed connected to fellow Local Guides in 2020.
Hosting meet-ups regularly
Adrian did not miss a beat when it comes to staying connected, even during his 2020 move from the UK to Malaysia. He’s been building connections across continents and has even launched his own program called Community Live to connect virtually with Local Guides around the world. He is also devoted to creating for his GoLoco podcast to stay further connected with fellow Local Guides on a regular basis.
Feliciana, known in the community for her great food contributions, launched a meet-up series called Foodie Local Guides Talk in which she taught other Local Guides how best to support local businesses during this time.
Naresh and Mohammed Sagir have both hosted over 30 meet-ups in creative ways this year to help Local Guides stay connected and informed while Mahabub has created and hosted over 100 meet-ups on topics from mapping carbon-free energy sources to supporting local businesses in Bangladesh.
Bringing countries together virtually
Many of our Community Builders are members of self-organized groups like Cecilia from #TeamArgentina who continues to both stay connected with fellow Argentinians virtually and spread information about what makes her home country special to those in other countries.
Similarly, Luis is a member of #TeamTacos, a group of Local Guides in Mexico passionate about building a stronger community, both in their country and with fellow Local Guides around the world. Luis and his teammates are passionate about making contributions on Google Maps related to museums and other places that showcase the history of Mexico.
Making connecting a priority
Peter originally joined the Local Guides community after he retired because of a love of mapping. He soon made it a point to create an international friendship network and has continued to make it a priority to stay connected with fellow Local Guides in 2020 through hosting and joining meet-ups.
Local Guides like Hiroyuki and Megan make connecting a priority by launching campaigns on Connect like the #MonthlyTopic challenge and the #StateChallenge. Leading projects like this allow Local Guides to collectively create together and also give them a routine way to stay connected.
It has been so inspiring to see the community coming together and finding ways to stay in touch during a year when it wasn’t always possible to meet in person.
Join us in congratulating our Community Builders in the comments below!
Do you have a similar story you’d like to share with us about yourself or a fellow Local Guide? Don’t forget, you can always nominate them via this form.
You all are awesome!! 
. Congratulations everyone and thank you 
.