Are any of you members of Mensa? I saw in Dr. Ruf's newsletter that she is an advocate of Mensa. The dues are $52/yr...
I'd love to hear what members or ex-members think of Mensa.
I've been a member for over 22 years. I obviously find Mensa membership to be worthwhile! The dues bring a (pretty much) monthly newsletter from the national group, a local newsletter, other membership benefits (auto rental discounts, etc.), and an international circle of friends. Mensa has a program that provides hosts (for lodging or just hanging out) for travelers all over the world, and a strong program for gifted children. (I happen to be both the Gifted Children's Coordinator and SIGHT--Service of Information, Guidance and Hospitality for Travelers--Coordinator for MN Mensa.)
I met my husband there, and both of our children (a PEG and a DYS) have been members. We have many friends at the local level whom we would not have met without Mensa, and there are many activities for various interests going on (depending, of course, on the energies of people in the local groups to plan them).
As with most volunteer organizations, people get good things out of Mensa in proportion to the efforts they are willing to put in.
Teresa
Teresa, thank you for posting. What kinds of children's programs are there? Are siblings included? Do the children have to be members or just their parents?
Sorry for the barrage of questions
Yes, Teresa,I'm interested as well. I emailed several names on our local Mensa asking about children's activities and never heard a thing. Thanks.
I've been a Mensa member since 1989. It is definitely geared more toward adult interaction, though there are some groups that have strong children's programs. Once a single family member joins, the rest of the family is welcome at most events. No one will ever ask for your membership card at the door!
It is worth it? That depends. I used to be very active in Mensa, but since DH and I married, we have done less and less. At this point, we read the newsletter and National Bulletin, but that's about it. We have a strong social network of bright/gifted people in our community and don't "need" Mensa so much these days.
You can search for info on a local (US) Mensa group here ...
http://previous.us.mensa.org/local_groups/n_findgroup.phpWe are not members, but I do know our local group has very active and vibrant children's programs, so we may join this coming fall when we are looking for activities to do as home schoolers.
Edited to say, I notice TeresaM is from my area!
Sorry to have posted and then disappeared for a couple of days. We are tearing out all of the (hopelessly) outdated carpeting, paneling, etc. from our basement, so I've been having loads of fun there!
It is true that the activities for children vary widely from local group to local group. At the national level of Mensa, however, there is increasing focus on the importance of having programs in place to meet the needs of gifted kids. In fact, American Mensa just this year established an award at the national level for Best Local Gifted Children's Coordinator, given to two GCCs during the national Mensa convention, going on right now. (OK, I have to be honest--I just found out today that I won one of the awards...)
Something I tell people who have run into dead ends when trying to find things happening with their local Mensa group is that, if they'd like to see a certain activity (whether it is camping, listening to opera with a group, or events for gifted kids) on the calendar, they may need to be the folks to get the ball rolling. It can take a while to establish a program, but once it is in place and families know about it, they start showing up fairly regularly (as possible, given people's busy schedules these days).
I always invite people from the state GT organization (MN Council for the Gifted and Talented), as well as the folks I have on our local DYS list. I figure the kids will benefit from all the contacts, and families (like "kimck") may decide to join Mensa after checking out our activities.
This went on for a bit! BTW, Cathy was right that my PEG is a Mary Baldwing student. She will be a junior this year.
I welcome any other questions about Mensa, so feel free to ask. I'll try to reply faster!
Teresa
Congrats on the GCC award!
Kudos to Theresa! I hope you're enjoying the AG, and basking in the glow of some well deserved recognition!
Teresa, well done--it sounds like you have put in a lot of volunteer hours! Can you give me an idea of which chapters have well-established children's programs and which are still under development?
Hi, I'm new here. Glad to have found this place
I'm a Mensan too. Took the test about 5 years ago, simply to see if I qualified, and was ecstatic when I received my membership in the mail. That was the first indicator, the first real validation for me, that I was above average in intelligence (much less gifted!), because I kept doubting my own perceptions.
I kept wanting to attend the various activities, but never did. Maybe I'll fork up the annual membership fee again and actually try meeting a few folks this time!
Thanks for the congrats, all. I actually was not able to attend the gethering, so I am looking forward to getting my award when my friends come home this week.
I will have to do some investigating into the activity levels of various groups. The national GC Program Coordinator position just changed hands, so it may take a bit to find this out. But if I find some useful information, I'll pass it along.
Hope you decide to come back, promethea. The great thing about Mensa is that it provides a network of people all over the world, not just in your local area. So if you don't find a friend in your neighborhood, check out the online forums and special interest groups to find people in other areas.