Local Guides host amazing meet-ups all around the world, and they share recaps of their experiences on Connect. Let’s take a look at some of the best recaps from September 2021. Note: Some of these recaps describe offline meet-ups. Before you decide to join an offline meet-up in your region, please consider the local health regulations and guidelines. The safety of our community is our priority.
Community building
“[RECAP] Batu Local Guides : Staycation at Resto Kebun Desa”
The Batu Local Guides gathered for a weekend together in September, and @Annisa1208 told us all about it in the recap. They went camping at Camping Ground Bon Desa in Tulungrejo, Indonesia, and had insightful sessions with local officials, discussing the important role Local Guides play in the progress of the area. They played quizzes, did a geo walk to update the map, and above all—enjoyed their time together.
“[RECAP] Argentina Local Guides - 2do Cumpleaños”
Last month, the Argentina Local Guides celebrated their second birthday. As we saw in @Cecilita 's recap, it was a celebration like no other! To warm up, they tried to find Pegman in different places around Argentina. Next, they worked as a team and solved riddles to exit a virtual escape room that finally led them to the birthday party. The Local Guides looked back on their accomplishments and recognitions in the last two years, exchanged sweet messages, and toasted to their vibrant community.
“[RECAP] #LocalGuidesPanel Episode 2 - Celeste, Sarah, Steve, Adrian”
In the midst of moving from the UK to Malaysia, @AdrianLunsong shared about the second episode of his #LocalGuidesPanel series. This time, he invited @Celeste_KansasCity, @SP31, and @SarahKa to talk about Local Guides-related topics important to them: supporting small businesses, writing helpful reviews, organizing fun challenges for the community, and using Google Maps to relocate across the globe. Watch the video in Adrian’s recap.
Food crawling
“RECAP: Gwarimpa/Abuja Food Crawl 2021 Meet-Up”
@SholaIB was excited to host his first-ever food crawl in real life, and his recap is full of positive energy and smiles. Members of the Nigeria Local Guides community in Abuja joined him for a treat to traditional local dishes and interesting discussions about editing on Google Maps. They corrected the restaurant’s location, added fresh contributions, and talked about Road Mapper. Don’t miss to read about their day!
Sharing photography knowledge
“[Recap] 360 Photography Virtual Meetup Series - Episode 3”
Throughout September, @SalmaanN hosted a series of virtual meet-ups on 360 photography. In Episode 1, he focused on capturing 360 photos with a mobile phone and publishing them in the Google Street View app. Episode 2 came with tips on how to take photos using a 360 camera and how to create blue lines in Street View, while Episode 3 was dedicated to 360 photography with a DSLR camera. Finally, in Episode 4, Salmaan shared his experience with creating virtual tours, and there’s so much to learn!
Mapping accessibility
“Recap: Accessibility Uncovered 9.0”
In @EmekaUlor ’s own words, the “September edition [of the Accessibility Uncovered Webinar] was perhaps the most motivating.” The guest speaker was Darian Slattery, an advocate for deaf awareness, who also invited professional sign language interpreter Ellie. Darian told the story of how their advocacy began, shared thoughts on what it’s like to be a deaf citizen in 2021, what deaf culture is, and more. Read about Darian and their appreciation for the Local Guides’ accessibility efforts in Emeka’s recap.
“[RECAP] Accessibility 
in Michigan Parks #Michigan”
In her great recap, @Erna_LaBeau captured the key moments and calls to action from her virtual meet-up with co-host @AlfredBrock . As accessibility enthusiasts, they talked about ways to raise awareness about the accessibility of parks in Michigan State, USA. These included updating information on Google Maps, adding parks to Accessibile Life in Google Earth, a project by @ermest, and contacting the local authorities. Check out Erna’s post for more details.
“RECAP - Capturing Storefront Photos on South JM Road Pune” and “RECAP - Glorious 25th Accessibility Meet-up in Pune”
A few months ago, @TusharSuradkar started two series of meet-ups dedicated to capturing storefront photos and checking the accessibility of places around Pune, India. In September, Tushar continued his quest, once again showing how much helpful information storefront photos can include and what accessibility features to be on the lookout for when contributing on Google Maps.
Supporting businesses and editing the map
“[RECAP] Support Small Businesses at West Panthapath, Dhaka”
@AbdullahAM also carried on his series about supporting local businesses. His latest meet-up was in West Panthapath, an area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where the Local Guides updated the information of over 30 places. They added new businesses on Google Maps, verified names, working hours, and locations, and contributed helpful photos. Their fruitful walk ended with a—now customary—meal together.
“RECAP: Gwarimpa/Dawaki Map Edit meet-up 2021”
Apart from food crawls, Local Guide @Shola4sure discovered that he enjoys hosting map editing meet-ups, too. He conducted two such events last month, and even though he was the only participant, he had a great time updating the map in the Gwarimpa and Dawaki neighborhoods in Abuja. He made more than 50 edits, added reviews and photos, talked to business owners about the importance of keeping their businesses up-to-date on Maps, and checked the accessibility of some locations.
Did you attend any of these meet-ups? What’s your favorite recap? Tell us in the comments below or nominate a recap by using our nomination form.
Interested in being featured? Submit your recaps on Local Guides Connect or through our nomination form for a chance to have your recap featured for the next month. No need to tag a Google Moderator; we review all recaps and nominations regularly.
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