Debunking myths about IQ

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9WZwNOEDkI  

• A conversation about the nature of intelligence, a widely misunderstood topic. Intelligence scholar Dr Russell T. Warne is interviewed by Mensa International Chairman Björn Liljeqvist. Warne is the author of "In the Know: Debunking 35 Myths about Human Intelligence".

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The History of Mensa

• https://www.mensa.org/mensa/about-us   (excerpt below only)

  • When did Mensa begin, who started it, and why?

    • Mensa was founded in England in 1946 by a barrister named Roland Berrill, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer. Mensa's original aims were, as they are today, to create a society that is non-political and free from all racial or religious distinctions. “Mensa” means “table” in Latin, and the organisation was so named because Mensa is a round-table society where ethnicity, colour, creed, national origin, age, politics, educational and social background are all completely irrelevant. In fact, the only relevant qualification for membership is scoring within the upper 2% of the general population on an approved intelligence test. Mensa takes no stand on politics, religion or social issues, and it has members from so many different countries and cultures, each with differing points of view; so, for Mensa to espouse a particular point of view would go against its role as a forum for ALL points of view.

    • Today, there are around 145,000 Mensans in roughly 90 countries throughout the world. You can see the approximate membership numbers of all the national Mensa groups here. There are active Mensa organisations on every continent except Antarctica, and the three stated purposes of Mensa are always the same, no matter where in the world your national Mensa organisation happens to be:   

      • to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity;

      • to encourage research into the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence; 

      • to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members.

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Mensa UK's summary

• https://www.mensa.org.uk/about-mensa    ​​

  • The society welcomes people from every walk of life whose IQ is in the top two per cent of the population, with the objective of enjoying each other's company and participating in a wide range of social and cultural activities. Mensa members come from all walks of life and almost every job and profession. Every age group is represented from pre-school children to members in their eighties, nineties and beyond!  Some join because they are looking for intellectual stimulation, others because they feel in some way "disconnected" from the people around them and are looking for other people who "get it". Some join just because they can!

  • What almost all Mensans have in common is the desire to make contact with other lively minds - in person, in print or online - and enjoy being both entertained and informed. The essence of Mensa membership is fun and stimulation for the individual. Mensa members often read voraciously and enjoy the widest range of interests, leisure pursuits and hobbies. The atmosphere at all Mensa meetings is welcoming and convivial. Most Mensans are friendly and sensitive people who welcome the chance to make new friends and expand their horizons.   

    • Meet our members

      • ​https://www.mensa.org.uk/featured-members   

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Mensa International

• https://www.mensa.org/  

  • Mensa has members of all ages in around 90 countries worldwide. The society provides its members with diverse and exciting opportunities for social, cultural, and intellectual interaction.

  • Activities include:

    • The lively exchange of ideas through lectures, journals, and special-interest groups;  

    • Stimulating discussions and debates at local, regional, national, and international gatherings;     

    • Thought-provoking surveys and investigations of members' opinions and attitudes;

    • Valuable assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa, in projects dealing with intelligence and Mensa. 

• Giftedness   - Children ( a special focus for Mensa) - excerpts

  • https://www.mensa.org/iq/recognising-potential  

    • Spotting Possible Signs

      • Many parents or teachers may see signs in a child that make them think he or she is gifted. These signs, such as the ability to learn things very quickly, an unusually large vocabulary, or an uncommon ability to solve problems could mean that the child is gifted. However, there are also several less obvious characteristics, some of which may surprise you: idealism and a strong sense of justice, for example, or the child being preoccupied with their own thoughts (daydreaming). Intense curiosity in how things work is a common trait, as is a tendency to experiment with doing things differently, or linking ideas or thoughts together that are not usually linked.

    • Defining Giftedness 

      • One useful definition has been provided by the US government:

        • "Students, children or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not normally provided by the school in order to develop those capabilities."

    • Developing Giftedness Capabilities

      • There are many forms of giftedness. Of course, Mensa is primarily concerned with intellectual ability, but the second part of the definition above is highly relevant: "... and who need services and activities not normally provided by the school in order to develop those capabilities". Some may argue that it is elitist to identify intellectually gifted children, but it is not elitism to recognize that gifted children need special attention in order to bring them to their full potential, just as much as other, less able children may need help, advice or support to reach theirs. It is also important to understand that there is no single "one size fits all" solution, and that each individual gifted child is unique. Each needs to be adequately stimulated and their talents channeled, and that is a challenging task for parents, teachers and schools.

    • Different Approaches to Giftedness

      • Many countries have programmes for gifted children; some have yet to implement them. Also, different countries and cultures may have different approaches to recognizing potential. If you would like to know more about some of the different approaches, here is a paper written especially for Mensa International by the eminent British psychologist, Professor Joan Freeman, who specialises in giftedness.   

        • https://www.mensa.org/system/files/joan_freeman_giftedness_in_different_cultures_mensa_2020_-_fv.pdf 

          • N.B.: We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Professor Freeman.

  • https://www.mensa.org/public/giftedness/mensa-gifted-youth  

    • Mensa Gifted Youth   (excepts)

      • What is Mensa Gifted Youth?

        • Mensa Gifted Youth programs and activities vary from country to country, but their overall aim is to provide occasions for gifted children and young people to get together, make friends and learn new things. From algebra to abseiling, painting to puzzle-solving, robotics to running, and barbecues to biology, participants have a wealth of opportunities to challenge themselves, get creative and, well, just have fun!

      • What other purposes do Gifted Youth programs serve? 

        • Gifted youth programs also provide children and young people with the extra support they often need to develop their individual capabilities – additional assistance that all students worldwide should receive. Indeed, whether children and young people have learning difficulties, average intelligence, or an IQ in the top 2% of the population, they will all benefit from the appropriate kind of help along the way in order for them to reach their full potential.

        • Of course, gifted children from underprivileged backgrounds face further challenges in order to fully develop their abilities, and Mensa India, through its Project Dhruv initiative, is setting an inspiring example for other countries to follow.

      • What kind of Gifted Youth programs and events are there around the world?

        • Mensa Gifted Youth programs around the world include day trips, weekend excursions, summer camps, and a range of other events throughout the year; there are even Mensa Family Camps at which younger children can be accompanied by their parents and siblings. Mensa Germany, which organises a wide variety of fun and challenging activities for children and young people, held a European Mensa Juniors Camp in the summer of 2022, and the attendees enjoyed an action-packed event schedule.

        • The Mensa Grammar School in Prague focuses on educating gifted children using individual approaches that contain a variety of modern methods. Mensa Czechia organises conferences and seminars for teachers and school principals, often in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. These feature both theoretical and practical lectures on gifted-related topics. The Logical Olympiad, held yearly in the Czech Republic, is an extremely popular event that attracts tens of thousands of young participants from several thousand schools.

        • Mensa Greece offers weekly programs for 5 to 17-year-old members to help them meet their socio-emotional needs and develop their higher-order thinking skills. These programs include gifted & mindset education, science projects, robotics, and coding. In addition, Mensa Greece focuses on how 5 to 8-year-old gifted children learn, and uses a strengths-based approach to support “twice-exceptional” gifted children, so called because they also have a learning disability, such as autism or ADHD.

        • In Serbia, the Nikola Tesla Centre (NTC) learning system has been created as a specialised program that acknowledges play as an intrinsic need of the child, and recognises the importance of play in the sensory-motor and cognitive development of children. The NTC program is also concerned with the practical implementation of new discoveries from the fields of neuroscience and pedagogy in classrooms and everyday life, with the aim of helping children to develop their creativity and functional knowledge. 

        • American Mensa offers a multitude of programs and services that are specifically designed to meet the needs of its Young Mensans (YMs), and they even employ full-time specialist staff to support YMs and their families. Some of the most inspiring and popular American Mensa programs for children and young people, such as Excellence in Reading, Mensa for Kids, and the Scholarship Program are outreaches of the Mensa Foundation, which has spent the last 50 years supporting those who seek to improve the world through the unleashing of human intelligence in all its forms.   

        • British Mensa, too, has a well-established gifted youth program that offers a variety of activities and events, including workshops, conferences, Facebook groups, get-togethers and a popular newsletter, the content of which is largely produced by the gifted children and young people themselves. British Mensa also has a nationally recognised gifted child consultant who provides expert advice to families regarding the social, academic, intellectual and emotional development of their high-ability child or children.

      • Gifted Youth YouTube channel

        • This Mensa International Gifted Youth YouTube channel has just been created by our Gifted Youth Committee. Its aim is to provide a source of interesting topics to inspire and enlighten gifted learners and educators alike.

      • Links to Mensa Gifted Youth programs worldwide

        • The inspiring examples of the work being done globally to identify and nurture giftedness in children and young people are too numerous to mention here, but please feel free to click on the following links to read more about the various Mensa Gifted Youth programs happening around the world. N.B.: ** denotes non-English language information. 

          • American Mensa    

          • British Mensa

          • and many more ... for the complete list go to the bottom of page   https://www.mensa.org/public/giftedness/mensa-gifted-youth     

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Mensa Australia website

• https://www.mensa.org.au/about-us/our-association  

  • Mensa is a not-for-profit society. Its purposes are to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity, encourage research into the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence, and to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members.

  • Slide show on Social benefits from Mensa Internationally  

• All kinds of people are in Mensa

  • You’ll find all sorts of people in Mensa. But Mensans worldwide have one thing in common: they’re bright.

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