FICS - Florida Institute for Community Studies - Food and Social Needs Assessment/Partners in Well-Being

Employer

University of South Florida (USF) - Mellon Humanities Internship Program

Mellon Humanities Internship Program
Title: FICS - Food and Social Needs Assessment/Partners in Well-Being
Internship Site:  Tampa, FL
Field: Non-profit Organizations
Total Internship Hours: 100
Location: Hybrid – Tampa, FL

MHI Compensation: This position is eligible for the MHI $1000 Scholarship. Students who receive an offer for this position will be required to enroll in the Mellon Humanities Internship course to receive the $1000 scholarship disbursement. As referenced in the Student Interest Form that you filled out to sign up for participation in MHI, this scholarship can impact, or be impacted by, other financial aid you receive. 

If an internship requires out of pocket costs, students may apply for reimbursement for expenses including background checks, qualifying travel, or equipment. All applications will be reviewed and processed for eligibility. Please contact your departments internship coordinator for more details.

The $1000 scholarship offered for this position is intended to provide financial assistance for the pursuit of your education; it is not compensation for the performance of any services and does not create an employment relationship between the you and the Site.

This position is an experiential learning opportunity and receipt of the scholarship is tied to an academic course (IDS 3947). If you do not complete your registration for the course in a timely manner, your internship offer may be withdrawn, and your department’s Internship Coordinator may notify the host organization that the position has reopened.

Job Description:                                                                                                      

The Florida Institute for Community Studies (FICS like “fix”) is a 22 year old nonprofit headquartered in Tampa.

Our federal grant is focused on promoting mental and physical well-being. The overarching project is entitled Partners in Well-Being and we train adults in an evidence-based curriculum “Youth Mental Health First Aid” to build capacity at the local level so adults know how to intervene with youth who are at risk. We would prefer a bilingual English-Spanish speaker but we are open to translating for the intern.

FICS works in three major areas following a Community-Based Participatory Research Model; however, these communities have high concentrations of im/migrants and families with mixed-status individuals so the immigration crackdowns are creating a situation where driving to a food pantry or to get groceries is a risk for those without documents. As a result, we need extra help to survey families to see what their social and especially food needs are. FICS has partnered with the Beth El Farmworker Mission in Wimauma for 20 years and they have a robust food pantry program but report that families are not picking up their food. The interns would be trained to talk with family members and record what they identify as needs, as well as opportunities to close the gaps. 

Qualifications/Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills and attention to detail
• Proficient use of Canva, newsletters, Microsoft Office and Excel
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision
• Familiarity with social media platforms and trends is a plus
• Bilingual is a plus (English and Spanish)