Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion New user - Dearth of programs for gifted adults?

I am new to this forum. I have been searching for almost 10 years for support for gifted adults and am frustrated by how little has changed. My fantasy would be to have ONE decent forum where I could talk to gifted adults from all over the country/world, ONE conference specifically for gifted adults to attend (anywhere in the world), and ONE retreat anywhere in the world where I could just hang out with people like me for a week or two and maybe build a cob wall or a shortwave radio or little projects like that. ONE college that would support learning for gifted adults. I have just lost yet another job and am suffering strong feelings of alienation. Any links or info would be life-saving, thanks.

Have you looked into Mensa? They have a number of internet resources where people from all over the world interact with each other. And they can fulfill the conference requirement as well... Mensa US holds a major conference called the Annual Gathering once a year, with several other Regional Gatherings that are smaller in scope. I've attended one of each.

Beyond the MENSA appraoch, I'd look at your cluster of interests and match that to groups with similar interests. One that may be a great match is to find a local Hackerspace. Typically these are a group of people at core passionate about learning new skills and knowledge sharing. http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/

If you have an interest in science fiction, you may find a lot of like (and generally smart) minds at science fiction conventions.

Or take adult learning classes in subjects of interest at a college and see about hanging out with folks afterwards.

Ultimately matching passions seems stronger than matching aptitudes. If you are in a larger city, MENSA may do both as they have SIGs (special interest groups.)

Facebook has several discussion groups for gifted adults, and my High Ability site lists a number of other sites
http://highability.org