Northwest Florida Mensa

Member Benefits

Mensa has a lot to offer, both socially and intellectually. No matter what your interests, and whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, you'll probably find something that suits you. Mensans will laugh at your jokes.

One reason people join Mensa is the social opportunities. If you move to a new area, Mensa allows you to easily meet a number of people who are potential friends and even potential life partners. Mensans will laugh at your jokes without the need for you to explain them, and understand that doing something idiotic doesn't mean that you're stupid. If they disagree with one aspect of your world-view, they may argue about it, but most will also find some other area where you will agree. And, of course, and as bright people, we share some common experiences; being "gifted" isn't always a "gift."

Mensa benefits are varied, with the monthly Events Calendar only listing a few of the options. Monthly events are a great way to interact with fellow Mensans and make friends and aquaintances.

Other benefits include national and local publications, special interest groups, gatherings, and special discount and saving programs.

Publications

The Mensa Bulletin is the national magazine of American Mensa. As a member of American Mensa, you will receive its national magazine, the Mensa Bulletin, 10 times per year. In it, you'll find puzzles, poetry, book reviews, essays on a variety of topics, Mensa news, and lots of debate in the "Letters" section. Twice each year, the Bulletin also prints a directory listing all local groups, international groups, members of the American Mensa Committee, and all active Special Interest Groups.

A second publication, Interloc, is provided to all current officers and to any other requesting member (for free), and discusses group dynamics and other issues of particular interest to the people who make things work.

Every member of American Mensa also receives a Local Group Newsletter. Like most local newsletters, Northwest Florida's newsletter, PensaMensa, contains columns by local authors, as well as the monthly Executive Committee (ExComm) minutes and -- perhaps most importantly -- the complete calendar listings for all chapter events each month.

Special Interest Groups

As each individual Mensan has far-ranging interests, it is natural that many groups of people who share a hobby or fascination have banded together to form "Special Interest Groups, " called SIGs for short. American Mensa maintains a list of SIGs at the national or international level. In recent years, the number of active SIGs have varied between 130 and 160. The SIGs program has evolved along with the Internet, now including many free online discussion groups. Some Mensans don't belong to any SIGs, others belong to multiple SIGs. Many SIGs get together at Regional Gatherings or at Annual Gatherings, to meet face to face. Northwest Florida Mensa has several local SIGs.

Gatherings

ValenTime Gatherings offer a chance for Mensans to meet together in large groups -- socializing or attending diverse activities. Throughout the year, local groups host more than 40 regional gatherings (RGs). They are usually theme-oriented, with programs and events based on ideas and topics like outer space, Hollywood, or the Wild West. Depending on the theme, activities can include games, dances, discussions, contests and guest speakers. Northwest Florida has been hosting the ValenTime RG in February for the past 5 years. ValenTime usually has between 75 and 100 attendees, and lasts three days.

The AG is Mensa's national convention. American Mensa's Annual Gathering (AG) is American Mensa's national convention. It is held over the fourth of July weekend, and hosted by a different local group each year. At the AG, over 1000 Mensans from around the country gather at a hotel to socialize, enjoy great food, and attend workshops and seminars in a variety of topics. AGs usually run about five days, and typical attendance may be 1500 people. And, of course, there are International World Gatherings as well.

Both RGs and AGs feature food, drink, and many special events as diverse as the people who planned them. Some of these are just for fun, others are highly educational.

Colloquium

The Mensa Annual Colloquium is a national gathering with a serious purpose. Unlike the AGs and RGs, its main purpose is not socialization, but discussion. It is designed to provide a stimulating intellectual forum where members may meet with experts to spend a few days discussing a chosen topic. Past topics have included:

Medicine in the 21st Century
The Politics of Politics
The Impact of the Arts on Civilization

Mind Games

Each spring, Mensans from around the country gather for Mind Games, a weekend long event where they rate new games released that year, including board games, card games, and strategy games. Each "judge" plays dozens of games over the course of the weekend, and assigns ratings to each one in several categories. At the end of the event, the top five games of the year are selected based on the judges' ratings.

CultureQuest

Each April, nearly 100 teams from local Mensa groups in the U.S. and Canada sit for CultureQuest (a 90-minute test of cultural knowledge) at exactly the same time on the same day. The top 20 teams receive cash awards, traditionally designated for their groups' scholarship funds. Questions range from politics to science and from entertainment to current events.

Discount and Savings Programs

Members of American Mensa receive preferred rates and special membership benefits at a number of businesses. These include the Consumer Financial Network, Sam's Club, Hertz Rental Car Company, and many other special deals. For more information, visit AML Member Benefits.

S.I.G.H.T

There are many benefits to joining Mensa! One national activity which is run on the local level is SIGHT, "Service of International Guidance and Hospitality to Travelers." Local Area SIGHT coordinators help visiting Mensans, suggesting local restaurants, hotels, and sights, and generally helping a traveler to feel welcome in a strange area. Mensans who travel in the course of their work find SIGHT coordinators a mine of local information, able to give them tips on how to break up the tedium of a business-oriented conference. And, of course, it is only natural that SIGHT volunteers can discuss schools, real estate values, and other matters with Mensans thinking of moving to a different community. If you're a Mensa member who is planning to visit Northwest Florida, or you're a local member who wishes to help, please contact our SIGHT Coordinator.

M.E.R.F.

While Mensa itself is a not-for-profit corporation under US law, it supports the non-profit Mensa Education and Research Foundation. MERF is a philanthropic organization funded by gifts from members of American Mensa Ltd. and other donors. The foundation works to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity and to encourage research into the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence. MERF gives grants and awards to various scientists to support and to recognize their work.

Community Involvement

Many of our members join to help the organization "do more." American Project Inkslinger Mensa has several national programs that support and recognize our members' efforts in their local communities.

"Project Inkslinger" was founded in 1993 to restore a single library, destroyed when the Mississippi flooded parts of the Midwest and South, that lacked the resources to re-establish itself. The face of Project Inkslinger has, of course, changed over time. It currently supplies information on programs that need book donations and is expanding to include more general philanthropic projects.