Focus on Mensa Italy
Focus on Mensa Italy
From 16 founding members in 1983, Mensa Italia reached 500 members in 2000, thus becoming part of the International Board of Directors of Mensa International. Currently, Mensa Italia has around 2,500 members. It is directed by a National Council and is divided into 20 Local Groups, entrusted to the Secretaries, and relies on a network of Test Assistants (Members authorized to administer the admission test) and Members who collaborate in the organization and management of the association.
Mensa Italia is very active, offering in-person events that have included topics on the art of superforecasting, brain mechanisms, depression and personality disorders, and quantum computers. They host video conferences covering topics such as nuclear energy, roles and responsibilities of the science, Dante, fake news, the metaverse, diets and veganism, and false myths. Most recently they discussed how agriculture and the agri-food chain are faced with complex challenges: climate change, new pathogens, growing world population, environmental protection needs, protection of income and agricultural land. Members are invited to follow the live broadcast for free on Twitch, on the Facebook page, and on the YouTube channel of Mensa Italia. Last year a monthly podcast was also created with knowledgeable members, especially in particular areas such as game theory, psychology, etc.
They have three official main national events: Conference, Meeting, and Games. The first two are mainly focused on science outreach events and exploring the nearby city through guided tours exploring culture and cuisine, sports activities, and outdoor adventures. At their annual Mensa Italia Games, they play and judge games and award the MENSA LUDO, for board game publishers, with the specific aim of selecting and recommending to the public games capable of stimulating logical and strategic skills through original and creative design solutions.
In November 2022, the former President of Mensa Italia, Manuel Cuni, hosted the Mensa Italia Live event at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. The event was attended by School of Thinking, Vanni de Luca, and Leonardo Bonetti and the winners of the Mensa Ludo and Mensa in Fabula competitions were awarded, as well as the announcement of the rankings of the Brain 2022 national logic competition. You can watch the video here. In April 2023, Mensa Tuscany organized the Conference event in Florence, with more than 350 members signed up. The most notable scientific outreach event was held at Palazzo Vecchio (one of the historically significant buildings in Florence) concerning the architecture of Brunelleschi’s dome.
Congratulations, Mensa Italia on 40 wonderful and stimulating years!