Florida Institute for Community Studies
Building on Community Strengths to Achieve Results
Our home-grown mentoring program that builds STEAM, improves grades and prevents youth (7-17) from getting involved in risky behaviors
Through of Florida Department of Health License, we provide free RAPID HIV testing and services, FREE
An accurate census helps ensure you have a voice at all levels of government. Through a grant with the Tau Foundation, FICS seeks to educate and inform the community to ensure YouCount!
FICS programming has been strategically focused on responding to identified community needs and an overall request to assist in creating more wellness, opportunities and positive outcomes at the individual, family, peer/school and community levels
Through out volunteers and partnerships we provide on-site tutoring and mentoring free of charge. We have a site license for youth to access MobyMax.com for FREE
Our staff have expertise in qualitative and quantitative research, from design to data collection to analysis and reporting. Available in English and Spanish.
We offer youth FREE arts/crafts and theater classes through our contract with UACDC for Prodigy Cultural Arts! Currently we have art and dance! Stay tuned for more!
We are bridging the gap between arts, art education, and our communities with partners at the Straz and Arts Council! Learn more by visiting our website!
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners is pleased to recognize the Florida Institute for Community Studies for its dedication to service while overcoming the daunting challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A general guide for COVID-19 Compiled from Hillsborough County Website
Aside from public sites, there are multiple private providers for the COVID-Vaccine. Click here to learn more!
Hillsborough county has setup several public vaccination sites. Click here to learn more!
Job Opening Dear friends of FICS: We are pleased to announce a vacancy at team fics. Click the link below to learn more! Please no phone calls. https://www.indeed.com/job/make-difference-programinstructor-assistant-bilingual-beginning-15d2d53b02a9826f Sincerely, Team FICS
FICS works at the community level to identify gaps and strengths. Through our community advisers, we use those strengths to write plans and create effective programs that build resilience and keep youth out of gangs, help make people healthier, and HIV and Substance free. Our reach extends to thousands of people per year, and we have documented significant improvements in teen pregnancy reduction, violence prevention, improved community responsibility and reduced dependence on law enforcement, prisons, and healthcare systems. We estimate a conservative savings to our community of $4.89 for every dollar spent on after school programs, meaning we have saved the community $1.5 million for youth. In terms of diabetics’ outcomes, we have documented a cost-savings of $782,811 per year.
Transparency is a focus of the Florida Institute for Community Studies. We proudly provide financial information to GuideStar. Because of our transparency, we have earned GuideStar’s Gold Participant status.
Based on 2018 financial reports. FICS exceeds in the industry standards in ensuring grants donations go to our programs; not marketing or executive salaries.
FICS is located at Morgan Woods Park in Town n’ Country, Florida. Our facility includes the following:
FICS was seen on ABC Nightly News. In the image, Jordon Montaez, 13, left, and Mariana Soto, 10, participate in e-learning Monday at the Florida Institute for Community Studies while director Alayne Unterberger talks with Soto’s teacher to troubleshoot issues on the first day of school for Hillsborough County in Tampa. (Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times/AP)
Executive Director
Alayne is a co-founder of FICS, which grew out of a series of initiatives with community leaders, students, professors and activists from across the state. She is passionate about FICS’ motto: CARE. It stands for Community, Activism, Research and Education. These four pillars emerged from community participatory research and reflect our belief that communities know their strengths and needs best. We work to develop community voices to advocate for solutions that create the conditions for success.
Email: alayneu@ficsinc.org
Education:
Other Professional Activities:
Chairman of the Board
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Human Resource Management, Saint Leo University
Awards and Honors:
FICS is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization, therefor all contributions are tax-deductible. Consult your tax professional for more details.
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