Opinions in Novi Sad

Column for the Mensa World Journal

I just came back from a great Mensa meeting in Serbia. Let me share with you some thoughts from a discussion we had. The Constitution of Mensa says, in section II, on ”The policy of Mensa”: ”Mensa as an organization shall not express an opinion as being that of Mensa.” Very well. But just before that, we can read the first policy: ”Intelligence should be used for the benefit of humanity.” This is, of course, an opinion, albeit an abstract one. How do we square this circle? And who is to say what benefits humanity?

Intelligence is good. Identifying and fostering it so that people can put it to good use is a message Mensa expresses by its very existence. What we must avoid, now and always, is to lend our name to this or that cause, that has nothing to do with our core policy. Should Mensa be against the use of marijuana? What is our opinion on biodiversity? Saving the whales? How about being for or against GMOs or file sharing? Inequality? These are just some issues where members have a wide range of opinions. Our very constitution embraces the diversity that our membership represents.

But if Mensa lost track of its purpose, there would simply be no end to the list of causes we would be pressured into supporting. And it gets harder to argue against another after agreeing to one. There would be conflicts over what to support, and this would distract from that which Mensa actually does stand for, beyond the political issues of our days, whatever they may be in each country.

How does intelligence express itself? How can we recognize it, whether in a school child or a gifted adult in the workplace? What difference does intelligence make? Mensa, in many countries, is working and leaving a mark in society by spreading awareness of these issues. It is possible to do this without crossing the line and becoming political or ideological. It does take good judgment on behalf of our spokespeople, but then again, is that not what intelligence is for?

This topic, on opinions, is an important one that is good to revisit now and then. During the meeting of the International Board of Directors (IBD) in early October, we discussed this issue along with many others. The IBD meets once a year, not only to vote on budgets and policy, but also to share experiences and knowledge and to ponder the course of the society, with the future in mind. The meeting of the IBD was this year organized by Mensa Serbia, and it was held in the charming city of Novi Sad, by the Danube river. Our Serbian hosts did an excellent job making sure both the conference and the social gathering that surrounded it went smoothly. Много вам хвала! The full meeting minutes can be downloaded from Mensa.org. Let me share some items with you.

The position of International Communications Officer was created. This person will play an important role in promoting the brand of Mensa in the international arena, not least using online platforms and social media. At the time of my writing this, the position has not yet been filled.
Did you know that you can check if a person is a member on Mensa.org? Lots of members take part in Mensa services outside of their own country. They travel abroad to gatherings or use the SIGHT-program to find accommodation in people's homes etc. The host group will then have to verify that they are indeed members, and this should be done using the centralized service we offer at Mensa.org, rather than sending queries to foreign offices that have to be handled manually by volunteers.
Have you heard of ”Mensa-in- a-box”? It is a custom-built website, complete with everything that a Mensa group needs, including a section for the public and one for the members. Mensa Denmark produced this to be used by as many countries as possible, and the IBD voted to endorse this project and set aside a minor sum to support its deployment internationally.
The component was set to 7%. This is the percentage of your membership fee that goes to Mensa International, and pays for all things like our international office, new development, global name and logo protection, the Leadership Exchange Ambassador Program (LEAP) and not least the IBD meeting itself.
A big part of Mensa International's responsibility is development, establishing new Mensa groups and helping them grow. Our development plans for the next year include visiting a handful of potential Mensa countries, and help starting up regular testing and member activities. New countries that are high on our list of priorities include Portugal, Russia, Taiwan, the UAE and Kenya.
In parallel to the IBD meeting, another meeting took place: A gathering for PR officers from more than a dozen national Mensas. As we already had a big hotel full of board rooms, they used the opportunity to have a conference on how to promote Mensa. The PR meeting was an intiative by our new Director of Smaller National Mensas, Tomáš Blumenstein, and the idea is to follow up with similar officer events in conjuction with IBD meetings in the future.

Next year, we meet in Kyoto, Japan, celebrating Mensa's 70 th anniversary. Come and join us!