Social benefits_Mensa International

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f r e e d o m t o i n n o v a t e

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To identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity

Compiled by: Cinthia Reyes, Mensa Mexico A.C.

Collaborators:Chris LeekSylvia HerbertElissa RudolphTomás KubesKymberley WilsonMarina TayRanko Rajovic Gustavo Torres

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What is Mensa?

Meaning of Mensa• Mensa is an international society in which the only qualification for

membership is a score in the top two percent of the general population on an accepted, standardized intelligence test.

• The word mensa has a triple meaning in Latin of “mind, table, month,” which suggests a monthly meeting of minds around a table.

Founding of Mensa• Mensa was founded in Great Britain in 1946 by two English barristers, Roland

Berrill and Dr. Lionel Ware.

• Worldwide, there are 115,000 members representing over 100 countries (as of October 2011) with the Mensa International headquarters in England.

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Mensa goals: To identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity. To encourage research in the nature, characteristics and uses of

intelligence. To promote stimulating intellectual and social opportunities for its

members.

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To identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity. Good for volunteers Great PR!

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Gives scholarships worldwide to university students. The number of applications (4,000 to 6,000 in recent years), and the amount of money available for awards (more than $70,000 in 2009-2010) comes from the Mensa Foundation’s scholarship program.

The Mensa Foundation's U.S. scholarship program is operated by approximately 400 volunteers around the country with support by the Foundation Director and American Mensa's office staff. Applicants need not be Mensa members.

Publishes the Mensa Research Journal 3 times a year. Watch video of the Mensa Foundation’s first 40 years. For more information, http://www.mensafoundation.org/ Also, http://portal.sliderocket.com/BAGSO/Mensa-Foundation

Mensa International

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Historical and ongoing projects: Mensa Foundation & American Mensa

Colloquiums• Join several hundred Mensa members as well as members of the public for

this hot-topic event of speakers and high-level discussion. Sponsored by the Mensa Foundation, the popularity of these events is growing each year.

• Past Colloquiums have focused on topics such as consciousness, energy, global warming, cosmology, humor, politics and gifted children. The first American Mensa Colloquium was held in 1982.

• Colloquiums are open to the public and draw attendees who have an interest in the specific Colloquium topic, as well as Mensans who regularly attend Colloquiums for the atmosphere of learning and intellectual exchange.

• For more information, visit www.colloquium.us.mensa.org.

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Benefits for Young Mensans!• FRED is a quarterly e-zine with a different topic each issue. Mensa members

are welcome to submit material for inclusion.

• Stanford’s EPGY program offers a significant discount under the BrightKids group for YMs of elementary age.

• YMs can take advantage of all other member discounts at places like ThinkGeek and Edmunds Scientific, and magazines like Mental Floss, Scientific American, and more.

• YMs are eligible to participate as reviewers of books sent by publishers from Random House to Candlewick to National Geographic to Harvard University Press and beyond. The YMs review the books, send the review to Mensa, and then donate the books to the library of their choice

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MORE Benefits for Young Mensans!• The Bright Kids listserv is an e-list for parents and other interested in issues

relating to raising and educating gifted youth. Mensa membership is not required.

• Young Mensans can connect with others of similar interests at local, regional and national events.

• Many Local Groups have Gifted Children Coordinators who volunteer to serve the needs of gifted youth in their groups. Often, Local Group newsletters will publish items of interest or resources for Young Mensans.

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American Mensa: Community Activities Program Awards 2009 Greater New York Mensa Donations for Toys for Tots The group collected clean, gently used winter coats for donation to NYCares. The Give Back SIG has focused on volunteering at a soup kitchen to feed the

needy this past year.

Piedmont Area Mensa Judges for the Bethel Elementary School Science Fair. Decorated a tree in Greenville's St. Francis Festival of Trees, the proceeds of

which support the St. Francis Foundation in its care of children. Judges for the NCFCA state debating tournament.

Gave out three $300 scholarships in memory of deceased members. Tucson Mensa provided age-appropriate reading material, coloring books and

crayons to young patients at the Tucson Children's Clinics.

Oregon Mensa raised more than $1,000 for scholarships in the area. The major fund-raiser occurs at the RG, where they have a book sale, silent auction and a live auction.

Historical and ongoing projects: American Mensa

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Historical and ongoing projects: Mensa Croatia

Yearly activity: Blood Donation Day, when the greatest quantity is gathered that weekend compared to the entire year.

NTC program (Nikola Tesla Center) UNICEF video• Developed by Dr. Ranko Rajovic.

• Introduces elements that stimulate children’s mental development at pre-school age and additionally stimulate their talent development, movement coordination, and motor skills; prevents concentration and attention problems in the older age, and develops the speed of thinking and drawing conclusions (functional knowledge).

• Increases the level of intellectual capabilities of all the children included in the program, aids the endowment development.

• Early talented children detection.

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Historical and ongoing projects: Worldwide

NTC Program has been implemented in:

Serbia – Ministry of education gave permission to use program in state schools and kindergartens.

Slovenia – as in Serbia, but a few differences.

Czech Republic – as in Serbia, but main organizer is Mensa Czech Republic. Italy – as in Czech Republic. Currently, program is running in state school and kindergarten in town of

Gorizia in eastern Italy. Bosnia – direct contract with Ministry of Education. Switzerland – Permission from Ministry of Education (Basel canton). Croatia – PILOT PROJECT .

Hungary – PILOT PROJECT.

Romania – PILOT PROJECT.

Norway – PILOT PROJECT - state school and kindergarten in 2 towns.

MEXICO – TBD

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Historical and ongoing projects: Mensa Singapore

Mensa volunteers take disabled people to the zoo and other sites.This program is developed along with YMCA and the Handicaps Welfare Association

Pathlight School Program (for 13-16-year-old kids who do not do well in school)

Mensa Singapore focuses on helping the disadvantaged, in terms of their financial or intellectual abilities.

Yum Sing was Singapore's first locally-produced interactive dinner musical (1999). Attended by over 700 people - whose names read like the Who's Who of Singapore, Mensa Singapore managed to raise over US$25,000 in aid of the Autistic Association.

Mensa Singapore had chosen to work with the Autistic Association because autism is one of the lesser-known medical conditions in Singapore. With the tremendous publicity and press coverage created, Mensa Singapore achieved both its targets of raising funds, as well as raising the public's awareness of the Autistic Association, which now is self-sustained.

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Historical and ongoing projects: British Mensa

BML participated with Dr. Adrian Furnham from University College London on a scientific research regarding intelligence beliefs.

Dr. Furnham was interested on studying how people thought of their own capabilities, as well as how they would estimate others.

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Historical and ongoing projects: Czech Republic Mensa

Czech Republic’s Gifted Children Program includes activities to support government education such as:

• Mensa for Schools.

• Gifted Children Clubs.

• Summer Camps – this activity is conducted by many chapters in Europe such as Germany and Denmark.

• Mensa NTC for preschools.

• Logical Olympics.

• Mensa Charter School.

For detailed information on each topic please check this file:

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Historical and ongoing projects: Australian Mensa

Australian Mensa supports the Starlight Foundation which looks after children in hospital.

Therese Moodie-Bloom supplies Mensa puzzles for their fundraising dinners.

Australian Mensa awards grants to gifted children from two sources and last year gave out around $19,000. In addition is setting aside $20,000 in the future to help tertiary students with their book expenses.

Annual Prizes awarded to a Music student and to a Psychology student.

Research top up grant of $5000 to be available per year from 2013 for research that supports Mensa's Mission statement.

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Mexico’s experiment

“Ideas de café” – Brainstorming sessions for enterpreneurs “Mundo Zeta” – Podcasting and videos “LUCI” (Línea Urbana de Ciclismo Integral) Blogs and blogs Ecological flyers (how can a person decrease their energy bill while

being ecologically conscious?) Conference and activities (Mensathlon) for Psychology week, public

University

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“Festival de la Alegria” – Event to gather money in favor of an organization that takes care of street children

Gifted children and youngsters (still on planning)• Online forum, with support of psychology department of Special Education

(Nuevo León), parents group, weekly group for children…

• Adolescents’ group with some government funding.

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Reading incentive annual activities for April 30.

Collaboration with Municipal Youth Institutes for several activities, lectures, cultural and artistic activities, food and book gatherings for economically disadvantaged people.

Collaboration with other Civic Associations such as “Dr. Sonrisas” on nutritional awareness and health programs.

Lectures on different topics (sciences, economics, medicine, etc.) open to public, some of them available on YouTube.

Environmental activities such as trash collection in Puebla’s State.

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WHAT DO MEMBERS DO? HOW CAN WE TEAM UP?

www.animusm.com

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www.animusm.com Projects follow-up

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www.animusm.com Filling the data for done, ongoing or just thoughts of projects

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www.animusm.com Free accessible online courses from mensans to mensans

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WHAT CAN WE DO NOW?

If you think of anything…• Mensa should be doing

• You should be doing

• What we could be doing together!!

Let’s get it rolling! Contact:• Cinthia Reyes

• Past-President of Mensa Mexico

• [email protected]

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cinthia.a.reyes