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The Unofficial New Members’ Guide – an Intro to Mensa...

Mensa is a “D-I-Y” or volunteer society. You can host a meeting or start a Special Interest Group (SIG). You get to choose the refreshments and make the house rules, and you don’t have to worry about getting lost on the way home! To organise a meeting, it’s maybe best to start off with something you would be doing anyway. Details about when and where to send meeting announcements are in Mensa Magazine. You might also let your LocSec know, to help avoid unnecessary clashes with other meetings. If you need help or  encouragement, just ask!
 

Getting Active…

Being an active Mensan adds a new dimension to your life. The obvious, new friends and stimulating conversation, is only part of your gain. The not-so-obvious is your feeling of     belonging, somewhat like coming to   a family reunion.
 

Events in Private Homes

Attire is defined by the host, but is  almost always informal. Conduct yourself as you would wish a guest in your home to behave. If you hold a meeting in your own house, you have the right to set the rules (eg no smoking indoors) or to refuse anyone admission.
 

Guests

Hosts may invite anyone they choose. Close friends / partners of attending Mensans are always welcome. You may also bring a friend, your teenager, your parents or anyone else with whom you wish to share the joys of Mensa. Guests should feel no uneasiness - they won’t be asked their IQ, they will not be quizzed or tested. They will be welcomed and, if they are urged to join, it only means we like them and want to get to know them better.
 

The Pun and Only

Not all Mensans are good punsters (a lot of people think “good punster” is a contradiction in terms, admittedly), but puns fly thick and heavy at some of our meetings. Conversation is the cornerstone of Mensa, words are an element of which conversation is made, and punning is a way of having fun with words, so naturally many Mensans pun. (If you don’t like puns, you can also find subgroups in Mensa where puns are uncommon or banned. There again, banned puns are very musical...)
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