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OUTINTIC first international summit
Helsingborg 23-25 November 2021

Who is an Outintic: rethink learning and mental well-being.


Objective
To establish an annual event that brings together researchers and workers in education and HR provision, for competence-driven innovation in the treatment and utilization of young people's deviant skills, and development / change of contemporary pedagogical paradigm.

Aim 
We aim to initiate discussions about definitions for deviant competencies that would give rise to research, work and method development with a focus on career development of people with different ways of thinking, learning and communicating.
We hope to gather specialists wide and deep to discuss their observations and thoughts about these people and their capabilities and possible (new) areas of application for the deviant skills and competences. -
We certainly aim to establish an international network of specialists for further development of the framework in the subject.

Background
During the last several years of our international work with young people from different cultures, a number of observations and positions from specialists had crystallized into a common understanding of what changes are needed to take the issue of school dropouts and youth unemployment to the next level and arrive at effective measures. Issues lifted by youth leaders, educators, curators and job consultants were following:
- we shall make visible and articulate to the public, strengths and talents of people that often hide behind neuropsychiatric diagnoses (autism, asperger's, etc.)
- introduce and develop understanding of term "deviant competencies" that differs from "disability" or "functional variation" in that it indicates that there are higher and further steps in its development.
- discuss the status of an alternative normality for people with deviant skills, not as a condition alongside "normal". The difference is if you look at unusual conditions as a problem that needs a solution and thus help, but only to approach the norm; instead, if deviations are seen as signs of an alternative, equally legitimate existential way that presupposes other, hitherto unknown, unexplored and unrecognized capacities and talents.
- Pay attention to deviating competencies, ie. people whose way of looking at the world, communicating and learning differs from the generally accepted "normal" way, for the general public. But before that,
- Agree on what we are dealing with and in what way we should deal with this phenomenon, if it is to be seen as a shift of paradigm and not as a (also common) exception to the rule.

Less formal...
According to studies, 5% of all children and 2.5% of all adults are estimated to have ADHD, 1-2% of the population has an autism spectrum diagnosis, and many individuals who have no disability in other situations have difficulty with various cognitive contexts without becoming diagnosed. There are signs that the proportion with ADHD has increased in recent decades, although the reason for this is unclear (sources: National Board of Health and Welfare, Knowledge Guide, Brain Foundation via www.funka.se). This means that over 11,000 people in Helsingborg alone end up in the group that is seen as disadvantaged instead of being praised for their special skills: it is not uncommon for these people to have incredible abilities in concentration, patterns, construction, analytics. Think how much you do not yet know about these personality traits. There is a certain unspoken segregation based on differences in capacities, where only a normality is accepted as most advantageous. What if we could turn it around and launch the first ship for change throughout Sweden and internationally, to interpret diagnosis as a prerequisite for professional competence? So far, in the absence of any better word, we had called these people "outintics", ie. A person who is at peace with himself even when he is outside "normality". Based on many discussions with colleagues and visitors to the association, we can state that the subject is close to the surface now, with many committed young specialists - "outintics" who want to find their place in the world and see Helsingborg as their home and place for applying their talents. Through the project, it would be possible to connect experience and observations of specialists with needs for young people and with opportunities for development in the city's surroundings. The result is to produce a unique model of transforming the risk group (for mental illness) into the front for innovation (thanks to different ways of thinking and creating). We do not have a recipe for how to do it now, but we hope that the collective intelligence of seminar participants can work it out.

Preliminary program

PART 1 Online meeting for the registered participants: 21 October via Zoom.
13.00 - 13.30 welcome, presentations by participants and the project group, presentation of the project's structure and program.
13.30 - 14.30 Presentation of objectives for the project, reconciliation of the participants' agenda and interests.
14.30 - 15.30 Division into groups, reflections and discussions about the project's program and agenda.
15.30 - 16.30 Gathering and presentation of results from group discussions. Establishment of priority (fish bone) schedule.
16.30 - 17.30 Group division and discussion about contributions to the project's results, what is requested, what possible proposals are there for speakers and program items.
17.30 - 18.00 Presentation of results from group discussions, summary and conclusion of the meeting.

PART 2 Seminar 23-25 November:
Day 1: 8.30-10.00 registration and breakfast mingling for early arrivals; then check-in and reconciliation.
12.00 - 13.00 lunch
13.00 - 13.30 opening of the program and welcome. Presentation of speakers and programs. 13.30 - 14.30 and panel debate;
14.45 - 15.45 three-four speakers with thoughts on education, psychology, anthropology, history, staffing
15.45 - 16.15 coffee
16.15 - 17.00 parallel workshops on psychological and social aspects in personal development, dilemmas in the education system and social justice, the labor market and validation of skills. 17.00 - 18.30 discussion groups / World Café for participants with the aim of ventilating ideas and creating a sounding board for each other's conclusions and thoughts about competence supply, learning and communication.
20.00 - dinner with entertainment and mingling for participants.

Day 2: 9.00 - 10.30 Tour of Helsingborg
11.00 - 12.00 A study visit with a workshop (four groups to Fontänhuset / Hbg Works / Project Pocket / Tryckeriet)
12.00 - 13.00 Lunch
13.00 - 14.00 Workshop in groups based on study visits. Panel discussion on challenges and goals for the future in the recognition of deviant competencies.
14.00 - 15.30 Brainstorm on conditions for innovations
15.30 - 16.00 coffee
16.00 - 18.00 Continued brainstorm sessions. Presentations from participants, questions and discussions 18.00 - 19.00
20.00 - dinner with entertainment and mingling for participants

Day 3: 9.00 - 10.00 Summary of impressions and discussions
10.00 - 11.00 Design of (new) issues
11.00 - 12.00 Closing reflections, closing of the seminar
12.00 lunch and wave of participants.

Seminar to be recorded and broadcast live; questions and comments from viewers should be collected and passed on to speakers and participants. With regard to any corona related recommendations, seminars can be conducted digitally.

Logistics
The participants will be offered basic lodging and meals during the summit, included in the participation fee.

Participation fee for the summit is 150 euro paid upon confirmation of participation, due to limit of amount of participants in person. Please apply for participation by sending an email to contact@projectpocket.se with a  short description of your background and expectations for participation in the event. This refers to participants in person due to logistics: food and lodging, that will need to be taken care of. Digital participation is free of charge but registration is obligatory in any case.