British Mensa   www.mensa.org.uk

British Mensa is the world’s oldest society for people with a high IQ, and we will celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2021.

The ethos of Mensa, as it was when it was formed in 1946, is to create a society that is non-political and free from all racial, gender or religious distinctions.

We have more than 18,000 members across the UK and Ireland, who are all part of the wider Mensa family which now encompasses more than 140,000 people across more than 100 countries.

The society’s three guiding objectives are:

• to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members
• to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity
• to encourage research into the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence

Our partnership with Potential Plus UK is part of our commitment to the second objective. Very bright children often struggle with an education system which is not designed to cater for their needs, so Mensa seeks to offer our younger members meaningful and challenging experiences which will allow them to reach their own potential.

All of our primary school age members get free associate membership of Potential Plus, which gives them access to an even wider range of activities, events and chances to socialise with other bright children.

We also have a dedicated Gifted Child Consultant, who offers her expertise gained over many years as a specialist teacher and psychologist to parents, teacher and young people themselves to help them navigate the challenges of bringing up, teaching or just being a child who doesn’t fit the “norm”.

While junior and teenage Mensans are welcome to join any event put on by the society, we also run dedicated family events to give younger members chance to meet other bright sparks, and to learn more about a wide range of subjects than school can teach them.

Under-18s also have their own monthly newsletter, which gives them a forum for their own stories, articles, poems and pictures as well as keeping them up to date with what’s available in Mensa.

Our popular Family Mensa Facebook group also helps our younger members find and “meet” other members in their area, or with the same interests, and – as the group is also open to the families of young Mensans – it helps parents ask questions and talk about their children in a safe, closed environment.

We were delighted to partner with PPUK and other interested organisations to sponsor the first ever Above and Beyond Awards, helping to shine a light on those that go the extra mile to support children with exceptional learning potential.