As we approach the end of the year, I thought it might be fun to share Ten for 10 in 2010 ? a list of people, blogs, apps, platforms and more that I think you might enjoy checking out in 2010.
These are just personal takes, and will probably either see you agreeing or thinking I?ve lost the plot ? and either one is fine by me! As with any list, this is subjective so please feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments after the post.
This time around, ten people that are doing amazing things and you should really get to know in 2010. I hope you enjoy.
Mark Lovett. One of the things that stood out for me in 2009 was the emergence of Mark Lovett and his Global Patriot project. The idea – to spread patriotism globally. Take the love for your country and offer it to everyone – not a bad aim, in my book. Mark also presented three Music as Medicine concerts in support of Doctors Without Borders, and showed how music truly does bring us all together.
Darius Bashar. Hailing from my neck of the woods, Toronto native Darius Bashar is a man on an incredibly inspiring mission. Co-founder of the brilliant Daily Challenge initiative, Darius’s goal is simple – to use technology and the Internet to inspire people around the world to do good. Works for me.
Samantha Nutt. Founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada (12for12k’s first charity in 2009), Samantha Nutt is simply an amazing person. Tireless in her mission to help kids trapped in conflicts, she live tweeted from one particularly dangerous warzone earlier this year and shared the stories of the people affected. You need to know Samantha today.
Mark Horvath. Anyone that knows me will know I love Mark Horvath and what he does. His Invisible People blog is relentless at bringing the stories of the homeless to a wider audience, and he braves the streets of Los Angeles and beyond to offer a voice to the voiceless. One of life’s true heroes, Mark Horvath is someone I admire immensely.
Susan Murphy. I love people with passion, and they don’t come much more passionate than Susan Murphy. Her energy is boundless; her enthusiasm contagious. She’s a creator of stories and a sharer of personal wealth. She teaches kids how to be great. She lives life the way it’s meant to be lived. Simply put, Susan Murphy is showing us how to be amazing every day.
Nate St. Pierre. If there’s one person I feel a real affinity to even though we’ve never met, it’s Nate St. Pierre. Nate has a project called It Starts With Us, where his belief that real change around us is inside us comes to life. Nate is someone I believe is going to be a life and game changer in 2010 – make sure you hop on board early.
Gabe O’Neill. To me, our kids are the ones that we need to help grow and instill belief in if we want to become better people, and no-one epitomizes that like Gabe O’Neill. Co-founder of the amazing Kids Are Heroes project, Gabe inspires children to learn from each other and be inspired to create change and hope. Something us adults could learn a thing or two from.
Sasha H. Muradali. One of the amazingly talented Generation Y folks that I’m blessed to know, Sasha H. Muradali is an incredible individual. She wears many hats – PR, marketing, community manager, fashionista, awesome blogger – and is forever positive, no matter how down she may be personally. A bright glow in an often dull space, Sasha should be on your radar in 2010.
David Spinks. Another Gen Y superstar (what are these folks drinking?), David Spinks has been on my awesome list for a while. He’s one of the smartest minds around, he writes an excellent and thought-provoking blog, and he’s helping Scribnia become one of the best platforms around for bloggers and authors everywhere. Oh, and he also co-runs a great Under 30 Pro Twitter chat every week. Kudos, sir.
Amy Neumann. A veteran of the Internet and media industry for 15 years, Amy Neumann is much more. Continuously looking at ways to improve charity awareness and non-profit work, Amy takes the expertise of consulting with Fortune 500 companies and shares her smarts with non-profits. One of my favourite folks around.
So these are ten amazing people I feel you’d really benefit from knowing in 2010. But these are just ten among many more – who would be on your amazing list? Please feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments.
I’ll be taking a break both tomorrow and Boxing Day, as I look to spend some much-needed time relaxing with loved ones. Hopefully you can join me again on Sunday December 27 when I share more Ten for 10 in 2010 goodies.
Cheers, and a very Merry Christmas to you!