This web page is an internal Mensa communication in connection to a campaign for the election of Mensa International officers. It is not an official communication of Mensa, and the statements contained herein do not express official policies or positions of Mensa.
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A young society

Column from the Mensa International Journal 2011

Recently, when I visited two great Mensa meetings in Malaysia and Bulgaria, it ocurred to me that in light of what is to come, Mensa, at the age of 65, is still very much a young organisation. We are growing globally, spreading to new countries, and recruiting new members where we are already established. Growing in numbers is not all: in recent years, I notice a deepening understanding of what Mensa is. Increasingly, we travel across borders, arrange multinational gatherings, and not least meet and trade ideas and thoughts online. Modern globalisation is mirrored, in a smaller scale, in Mensa, as national groups learn from one another, adopting ideas and programs and discover more of what Mensa is, in the process.

First of these two was the inaugural Asian Mensa Gathering in Kuala Lumpur in September. Mensa Malaysia really went out of their way to create an excellent event that will likely be followed by others. I liked the combination of Mensa topics with cultural themes from several Asian Mensa groups, lectures on leadership, science and spirituality among others. It was humbling also to see how, in such a diverse country as Malaysia, the hosts made such an effort to treat everyone with respect, as for example when visitors to a presentation on past-life regression therapy were met by a sign alerting them that the topic could be offensive to people of muslim or christian faiths. It made me think of Mensa in general, where members of so many different beliefs and opinions can exchange views respectfully, and tolerate even that which they find offensive, as long as nobody forces them to listen.

The second meeting of the two was the International Board of Directors in Sofia in October. The chairmen and representatives of all Full National Mensas met, as they do every year, to make decisions and exchange experiences and ideas for how their own groups as well as the international organisation can develop. Among all decisions taken, I can mention that the Leadership Exchange Programme will continue after its two year pilot phase, and also that the component (”tax”) that all countries pay to Mensa International was cut by a fifth on the last day of the meeting. Further, we got to learn what Mensa Germany does to achieve their outstanding 99.9% membership renewal rate. And now that Mensa China is starting to grow, what future do they envision? Other presentations included topics like the value of diversity, sight, megaissues and strategic planning. Please go to mensa.org and download the minutes for more details. As for the hosting, Mensa Bulgaria did a remarkable job, and we got so much PR that the chairman had to throw out a television cameraman who was filming our budget discussions.

Indeed, Mensa is still young and fulfilling its potential. You are all cordially invited to participate in shaping Mensa in the world. Local meetings are great, but the international ones add extra dimensions to the membership experience. There are several taking place very year. Simply by going there and returning, members add not only to their own pleasure, but also to that mysterious emergent property of groups, the collective intelligence when individuals connect and contribute whatever they have to share. As it happens, this is also one way for Mensa to fulfill its constitutional goal to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of mankind.

On a final note: My name is Björn, and I used to be chairman of Mensa Sweden. Now I sit on the Executive Committee of Mensa International, elected by the chairs of the smaller nations (250-9999 members) to speak on their behalf, thereby ensuring that the multicultural and multilingual nature of Mensa International is not forgotten, but rather put to good use, as we continue to grow.