by Marina Keryakous

Mayor Steven Fulop visited the school Sept. 12 to honor students who participated in the summer jobs program his office has developed for teens.

Fulop launched a new anti-litter campaign during the summer called the “Stop the Drop,” anti-litter program that offered teens paid part-time jobs picking up trash in their local neighborhoods.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday, anti-litter crews picked up trash. It was only a seasonal job and ended before the school year started.

“One, this helps keep kids occupied, two, it puts money in their pockets, and three, it helps keep our streets clean,” Fulop said in an interview with The Student Voice.

Twelve students in the school were involved in the anti-litter program.

Senior Raekwon Allen participated in the program during the summer and said he saw great changes in his neighborhood as well as the community as a whole.

“It helped keep me more aware of what I do, and it was a good learning experience overall,” Allen said.

Mentor Clarence “Coach C” Collins said he recruited 35 students for the program last summer and is helping Fulop recruit 350 students for jobs in the summer of 2014.

“This program is extremely important because it practices responsibility, helps these children be independent, and beautifies our neighborhood,” Collins said.

Fulop and his team plan to offer young adults and students the chance to apply for recreational jobs next summer. Fulop said his goal is to provide 1,000 jobs for teenagers.

These summer job opportunities will include being camp counselors at local elementary schools and locker attendants at public swimming pools, and participating in other programs that pertain to helping the community.

The mayor also will be launching his citywide beautification program called “Keep Jersey City Beautiful,” which includes recycling drives, greening initiatives and a mural program.

Fulop was a Jersey City councilman for eight years after being elected in 2005 at the age of 27. He was the youngest elected official on the Jersey City Council.

He was elected May 14, defeating former mayor Jerramiah Healy, who had held the office for nine years.

“If I was going to put another four years into moving Jersey City forward, I wanted to have the opportunity to do things that I thought were really important and not have those obstacles in the way,” Fulop said.

Fulop took the role of mayor one day after the election. He was sworn in on July 1 as the 49th mayor of Jersey City.

In addition to youth employment, Fulop is focusing on public safety.

“Since the violence that has occurred over the summer, our team has put out the best ten detectives out on a squad that deal with shootings,” Fulop said. “We have put more officers out on the streets, they dig and they’re giving us the information we need.”

According to Fulop, the police department has made progress in its investigations into the shootings over the summer.

“Out of the seven shootings that happened in July, we’ve made six arrests, went nine days with no shootings and also have done many aggressive street sweeps in the month of July,” Fulop said.

Fulop and his team are tackling the problem with ongoing street sweeps and are planning to hire 150 officers as of January 2014.