2022
I was wrapping up things before the holiday break when our team shared the above image on our social media channels with the caption "2017 was a big year! In September alone, #LocalGuides answered over 51 million questions related to #a11y. That's a lot of people helped." This isn't news to me of course given September's efforts and our recap post which shared this, but it made my heart swell with pride because so many of you, after doing such amazing things earlier in the year, showed up to support accessibility: something to help those who need it, to get around more easily!
As you know, pride is such a strong feeling and once again (I do this a lot) reflected on the past year for a bit on my own and decided to come over to Connect to share with ~451,000 of my closest Local Guides friends around the world. 😉
We did a LOT of cool things this year (like mapping places in Nigeria to support victims of rape, helping people take better photos to reaching new levels) Whether it was a "global" effort across the program or something we did on our own (like volunteering during one of the many meet-ups or putting small businesses on the map in our area) we are changing the world and it's SO powerful!
The year was not without challenges in our own worlds with natural disasters, national tragedies and in our shared world that includes product and program changes, but the one thing that ties all these challenges together is this: we did it together! When you needed support, you reached out to your friends you've made through Local Guides. When you were frustrated, you shared it here on Connect and if we could, we helped to fix it or to tell you we are working on it.
I wanted to thank you all for giving me this incredible sense of pride and a goofy smile when I tell my friends about my work, because they know it's not just about my work because I'm also a Local Guide through and through myself. Together, we are improving the map and sharing wonderful experiences here on Connect.
You're welcome to share your own post or comment here on what you enjoyed about 2017 as it relates to being a Local Guide. I do encourage everyone, however, to follow Local Guides on our official channels as we share our favorite moments of 2017 (Twitter, Facebook, and Google+) and to share your adventures anywhere on social media using #LocalGuides as I will be doing so over my holiday break. 🙂
I look forward to great things in 2018, so see you then and thank you!
