December 14, 2009.
Ovie Mughelli with South Atlanta’s Eco-Force Club
In an impassioned speech to students at South Atlanta High School, Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli challenged them to become more active and aggressive in fighting for their neighborhoods, their educations and their futures.
“You can’t wait on other people to do something for you,” Mughelli said. “Sometimes you have to go after what you want, what you deserve. Don’t you think you deserve the best? If you know you deserve the best, then act like it!”
The students at South Atlanta are some of the newest members of the Greening Youth Foundation’s Eco-Force clubs, which operate at a dozen elementary, middle and high schools in metro Atlanta. South Atlanta’s Eco-Force has just begun the task of transforming its school’s recycling habits, placing bins around the campus and encouraging students and staff to recycle. The students have also begun to make plans for a school-run community garden.
Mughelli visited South Atlanta as part of GYF’s Green Speakers series, which brings celebrities, eco-entrepreneurs and environmentalists to Greening Youth schools to teach students about all the careers that are emerging in the green industry. Indeed, Mughelli stressed the jobs theme to the students, telling them that billions of dollars are now being spent in environmentally related areas and they should make sure they have prepared themselves to take advantage.
“You guys have a competitive attitude in things like sports—why not in education?” said Mughelli, a self-described “eco-athlete” and founder of the Ovie Mughelli Foundation, which emphasizes environmental issues. “If they don’t give you access to these jobs, take it! Whatever you have to do to accomplish your goals, go do it!”
- Eco-Force President Michelle Render and Mughelli Foundation Executive Director Masika Perkins
Masika Perkins, Executive Director of the Ovie Mughelli Foundation, really got the students’ attention when she told them that she has worked with many NFL athletes over the past decade and that most of them are now broke because they didn’t properly prepare themselves for life after sports. She told them that this same plight will not befall Mughelli, a former pre-med major at Wake Forest whose father is a physician, because he is working hard to prepare himself.
Senior Kryshawn Cross, center, and Mughelli listen to Perkins speak
Mughelli and Perkins told the youngsters that when wealthy donors talk about spending money on students, they almost always set their sights on elementary and middle schools because they believe high schools students don’t care and are too far down the road to failure. She said high schools students have to do well enough in school so that they are ready to go out and take some of those green jobs.
“We’re telling them that high school kids are doing what they need to do, but they don’t believe us,” Perkins said. “Everyone wants to do elementary and middle school and that’s fine, but we don’t want to leave high schools behind. We’re trying to provide you with opportunities so that once again you’re not left out of the picture.”
As they spoke, South Atlanta senior Kryshawn Cross listened closely, his face a mask of concentration. When Mughelli paused to take questions, Cross’s hand shot up again and again.
“When he told us about the green jobs and how much money is out there, I didn’t really know about any of that,” Cross said afterwards. “If there are all these green jobs out there, I need to get one. And then one day if I have kids, I want it to be better for them.”
Mughelli was one of eight speakers who have visited GYF Eco-Force clubs so far this year as part of the Green Speakers series. GYF students have also heard from an environmental scientist and several environmental activists.
Posted in Featured Stories
December 04, 2009.
Posted in Resources
