What the Local Guides Program Means to Me… the Three I’s.

[JustineE]

To me, the Local Guides Program means Integrity, Innovation and Inclusion.

In this world of filters, glossy brochures and stylised websites, it can be difficult to know what, and who to trust. Through Google Maps, Local Guides share their honest opinion, photos and edits of places and experiences so people can make informed decisions about the places worth going and the things worth doing. Recently, I visited a local café and tried a dish I had never eaten before. On paper, It didn’t seem very impressive…‘Smashed avo on toast’, but when it came out…WOW! It was like a work of art. It gives me such a thrill to share these honest, local insights with others through Google Maps.

In an ever-changing world, how do you make a Map which is relevant to all people? Through a community of innovative Local Guides of course! To me, the Local Guides program means collaborating with others, and Google, to constantly find better, more effective ways of achieving this goal. In a recent article by @WilliamCanup "Welcome to the Playground Guides’, I learnt about a feature on my Google Pixel 3XL called ‘playground’. This innovative function allowed me to add text to my photos straight from my phone. This enabled me to identify, more clearly, an accessible ramp and an accessibility function on a touch screen menu at a local McDonalds restaurant. I know this is just the tip of the iceberg with ‘playground’ and I’m looking forward to learning how I can use it more creatively and effectively.

Lastly, but most importantly, to me the Local Guides Program means inclusion. Whether I am mapping accessibility features through photos (like this beach wheelchair below), or creating lists, like this one which describes family friendly places to eat in Cairns, I am helping to inform others so that we can all lead richer, fuller lives. On a personal level, through the Local Guides Program and Connect, I have made friends from nations and cultures all over the world. Through Connect I am included in a community of like-minded people who inspire me to be better through their creativity, knowledge and passion.

I feel honoured to be a part of the Local Guides Program and I look forward to continuing to grow and learn through my interactions with this innovative and inclusive global community.

[JacobLED]

Hey @JustineE

very well described… The three I’s.

The wheelchair accessible places list is in my bucket list as well. I think it is so important to improve it and add such places or only to mark them as available on maps is essential. By the way, I never heard about Cairns before… thank you very much for your invitation. You know, Brisbane is very known everywhere.

I don’t know why. Now checking out on maps I see that Cairns has a lot to offer, such as beaches and a rain forest as well. I hope to see it one day and tour through Australia by car.

[JustineE]

Thank you @JacobLED . Yes, mapping accessibility features is so important and just takes awareness on the part of Local Guides- to look out for a parking sign or to notice an entrance or seating arrangement. Cairns is a paradise where the rainforest meets the reef. The Daintree Rainforest and The Great Barrier Reef. One of the natural wonders of the world. Just remember that Australia is a huge country with vast tracts of desert inland. Travelling around by car would be awesome, but you’d need to have quite a bit of time and be well prepared. It would be lots of fun though! Take care.

[JacobLED]

It is a huge country @JustineE and with an incomparable beauty.

I talked once to someone who drove through and around Australia. It took him a year with a camping bus.

It makes really sense to buy a car there.