Difference between revisions of "Mensa Germany"

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'''Mensa Germany''', or '''Mensa in Deutschland''' ("MinD"), was founded in 1979 and has over 5.800 members (= 3rd largest national Mensa group worldwide), runs various local groups and a number of gatherings.
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'''Mensa Germany''', or '''Mensa in Deutschland e.V.''' ("MinD"), was founded in 1979 and currently has around 8.500 members in good standing, thereby constituting the 3rd largest national Mensa chapter worldwide. It runs various local groups and organizes a large number of gatherings. The average age is 34 years, roughly 31 percent of the members are female.  
  
== Mensa in Deutschland e.V. ==
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== Mensa in Deutschland e.V. Governance ==
  
Mensa Germany, usually called "MinD", has its office in the Munich area and is run by [[Cirsten Novellino]]. MinD has a board of five voluntary directors each of whom is elected for a two year term. Actual chairman ist [[Hermann Meier]]. The other members are [[Sabine Bremer]], [[Wolfgang Roth]], [[Christine Warlies]] and [[Martin Weiß]].  
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Mensa in Germany, usually abbreviated to "MinD," has a board of five voluntary directors, each of whom is elected for a two year term. The current chairman is [[Matthias Moehl]]. The other members are [[Tina Acham]], [[Hermann Meier]], [[Martin Weiß]] and [[Jens Wiechers]].
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MinD employs [[Birgit Rosenthal]] as its directive-bound executive director and has offices run by [[Cirsten Novellino]] in the Munich area.
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The last full election was held at the AGM 2010 in Dortmund, the next is scheduled for the AGM 2012 in Dresden.
  
 
== Membership ==
 
== Membership ==
  
Individual annual membership costs €44. The membership package includes a bimonthly magazine called [[MinD-Magazin]] - better known as Mind-Mag - and a regional newsletter, in German language: [[Ortsblatt]]. Chief editor of the Mind-Mag is [[Oliver Kruse]].
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Individual membership costs €44 p.a. The membership includes a bimonthly magazine called [[MinD-Magazin]] (commonly abbreviated to "MinD-Mag").
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 +
== Testing ==
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Usage of IQ-Tests for purposes other than clinical psychology is relatively uncommon in Germany and while there is some acceptance of the validity of IQ tests, there is also a considerable degree of skepticism as to the overall significance of the concept.
 +
 
 +
In recent years, there has been some positive change to the public perception and a number of private Universities as well as scholarship granting organizations have adopted IQ tests or closely related cognitive tests as an admission criterion; publicly funded job centers have also begun to regularly use cognitive tests to screen job seekers and the (recently) unemployed to determine the suitability for certain careers or occupational retraining.
 +
 
 +
Nevertheless, when two publicly funded Universities waived tuition fees for students who had a verified IQ above 130, the public and media reaction was largely negative and the programs were terminated in 2007 (University of Konstanz) and 2009 (University of Freiburg) respectively.
 +
 
 +
The Mensa IQ tests is therefore the most common way for prospective members to qualify for admission and more than 3000 test are taken each year.  
 +
Of those who attempt the test, roughly 40 percent meet the criterion and between 70 and 80% subsequently join Mensa, suggesting a very high degree of self-selection.
 +
 
 +
To deal with the complex requirements and the sheer amount of data, Mensa in Germany has been using an integrated IT-based solution for registration, test management (including scoring), billing and internal member communication for many years.
  
 
== Regions ==
 
== Regions ==
  
Mensa Germany is subdivided into several regions, each led by a [[LocSec]] (= Local Secretary). Larger regions have usually an own Ortsblatt which reports mainly about local activities but most offer also national and international news.  
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Mensa Germany is subdivided into several regions, each led by a [[LocSec]] (= Local Secretary).  
 +
 
 +
== MinD-Mag ==
 +
 
 +
The MinD-Mag is a magazine published on a bimonthly schedule and serves as one of the primary avenues of communication among the membership. [[Nicolai Meyer]] serves as the editor in chief, heading a team of volunteers who compile and edit the materials to be published.
 +
The magazine, with the exception of those contents concerned with the internal business of the society, is also made available to the public free of charge on the MinD website.
  
 
== Ortsblätter ==
 
== Ortsblätter ==
  
All over Germany 16 Ortsblätter (= regional newsletters) are published. Each one has a unique character and is run by an [[Eddi]] (= editor) or an Eddi-team. Many Ortsblätter are rather magazines than newsletters. Eddi-Coordinator is [[Oliver Kröning]].  
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In Germany a total of 16 Ortsblätter (= regional newsletters) are published. Each has a unique character and is run by voluntary Editors, colloquially referred to as [[Eddis]].
 +
Many Ortsblätter can be considered as magazines in their own right rather than newsletters. The editors are coordinated by [[Baki Sinanoglu]].  
 +
 
 +
*[[Augusta]] for Augsburg and the surrounding area
  
*[[BreMensie]] for Bremen and around
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*[[BreMensie]] for Bremen and the surrounding area
  
*[[Fragment]] for Frankfurt and around
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*[[Fragment]] for Frankfurt and the surrounding area
  
*[[Hamlet]] for Hamburg and around
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*[[Hamlet]] for Hamburg and the surrounding area
  
*[[Leipziger Freigeist]] for Leipzig and around
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*[[Leipziger Freigeist]] for Leipzig and the surrounding area
  
*[[MeDUSa]] for Dusseldorf and around
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*[[MeDUSa]] for Dusseldorf and the surrounding area
  
*[[MeNü]] for Nurnberg and around
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*[[Mensana]] for Munich and the surrounding area
  
*[[Mensana]] for Munich and around
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*[[MeNü]] for Nuremberg and the surrounding area
  
*[[Milljöh]] for Berlin and around
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*[[Milljöh]] for Berlin and the surrounding area
  
 
*[[MinSH]] for Schleswig-Holstein
 
*[[MinSH]] for Schleswig-Holstein
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*[[MiR]] for the Ruhrgebiet (area of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg)
 
*[[MiR]] for the Ruhrgebiet (area of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg)
  
*[[Muh-Q]] for Hanover and around
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*[[Muh-Q]] for Hanover and the surrounding area
  
*[[Münsteraner]] for Münster and around
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*[[Münsteraner]] for Münster and the surrounding area
  
*[[Rheingeist]] for Cologne and around
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*[[Rheingeist]] for Cologne and the surrounding area
  
 
*[[ThürMe]] for Thuringia
 
*[[ThürMe]] for Thuringia
  
*[[Unterm Fernsehturm]] for Stuttgart and around
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*[[Unterm Fernsehturm]] for Stuttgart and the surrounding area
  
*[[Zwingergeister]] for Dresden and around
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*[[Zwingergeister]] for Dresden and the surrounding area
  
 
== Regular Events ==
 
== Regular Events ==
  
There are many regional and nationwide events of Mensa Germany. In all major cities there are meet-ups every month. Furthermore there are a couple of annual gatherings which takes place.
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There are regular gatherings in all major cities and regions of Germany ranging from formal dinners to pub crawlings, clubbing and privately held game nights.  
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 +
There is also a number of larger annual gatherings, among them:
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 +
* The [[Mitgliederversammlung]] and [[Jahrestreffen]]: This is the official annual gathering where the members discuss and decide on important issues concerning the development of MinD. The "Mitgliederversammlung" is the formal general assembly, while the "Jahrestreffen" is the program organized for recreation, meeting other Mensans and having fun. It is held in a different city each year. Most recently, it was held in Munich (2009), Dortmund (2010), and Passau (2011), it will be held in Dresden in 2012, in Muenster in 2013. Likely candidate for 2014 is Freiburg.
  
*[[Mitgliederversammlung]] and [[Jahrestagung]]- Mitgliederversammlung (MV) is the official annual gathering where the members discuss and decide about important issues concerning MinD. Jahrestagung (JT) is the programme for fun around. They take place in a different city every April. In 2008 MV and JT will be held in Hamburg.
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*[[Tag der Intelligenz]] - Intelligence Day, a weekend in September dedicated to the promotion of intelligence in general and the idea of Mensa. Admission tests with around 1000 participants in total, open houses and lectures in ca. 50 cities all over Germany draw much attention of local and national media and mark the beginning of a year end rally in testing and marketing activities.
  
*[[Silvesterfeier]] - New Year´s Eve is celebrated in a different city every year. Kassel is the location for 2007.
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*[[Silvesterfeier]] - New Year´s Eve is celebrated in a different city every year.  
  
 
*[[Berliner Sommerfest]] - Each August more than 100 members meet in the German capital to have a good time together.
 
*[[Berliner Sommerfest]] - Each August more than 100 members meet in the German capital to have a good time together.
  
*[[Fifth Friday in February]] - The rarest event is the FFF which takes place only each 28 years. In 2008 it will be celebrated in Weimar and around.    
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*[[Fifth Friday in February]] - The rarest event is the FFF which, as is obvious, can only take place once every 28 years.  
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In 2008 it was celebrated in Weimar. The next FFF will be held in 2036.
  
 
== External Link ==
 
== External Link ==

Revision as of 10:48, 22 July 2011

Mensa Germany, or Mensa in Deutschland e.V. ("MinD"), was founded in 1979 and currently has around 8.500 members in good standing, thereby constituting the 3rd largest national Mensa chapter worldwide. It runs various local groups and organizes a large number of gatherings. The average age is 34 years, roughly 31 percent of the members are female.

Mensa in Deutschland e.V. Governance

Mensa in Germany, usually abbreviated to "MinD," has a board of five voluntary directors, each of whom is elected for a two year term. The current chairman is Matthias Moehl. The other members are Tina Acham, Hermann Meier, Martin Weiß and Jens Wiechers.

MinD employs Birgit Rosenthal as its directive-bound executive director and has offices run by Cirsten Novellino in the Munich area. The last full election was held at the AGM 2010 in Dortmund, the next is scheduled for the AGM 2012 in Dresden.

Membership

Individual membership costs €44 p.a. The membership includes a bimonthly magazine called MinD-Magazin (commonly abbreviated to "MinD-Mag").

Testing

Usage of IQ-Tests for purposes other than clinical psychology is relatively uncommon in Germany and while there is some acceptance of the validity of IQ tests, there is also a considerable degree of skepticism as to the overall significance of the concept.

In recent years, there has been some positive change to the public perception and a number of private Universities as well as scholarship granting organizations have adopted IQ tests or closely related cognitive tests as an admission criterion; publicly funded job centers have also begun to regularly use cognitive tests to screen job seekers and the (recently) unemployed to determine the suitability for certain careers or occupational retraining.

Nevertheless, when two publicly funded Universities waived tuition fees for students who had a verified IQ above 130, the public and media reaction was largely negative and the programs were terminated in 2007 (University of Konstanz) and 2009 (University of Freiburg) respectively.

The Mensa IQ tests is therefore the most common way for prospective members to qualify for admission and more than 3000 test are taken each year. Of those who attempt the test, roughly 40 percent meet the criterion and between 70 and 80% subsequently join Mensa, suggesting a very high degree of self-selection.

To deal with the complex requirements and the sheer amount of data, Mensa in Germany has been using an integrated IT-based solution for registration, test management (including scoring), billing and internal member communication for many years.

Regions

Mensa Germany is subdivided into several regions, each led by a LocSec (= Local Secretary).

MinD-Mag

The MinD-Mag is a magazine published on a bimonthly schedule and serves as one of the primary avenues of communication among the membership. Nicolai Meyer serves as the editor in chief, heading a team of volunteers who compile and edit the materials to be published. The magazine, with the exception of those contents concerned with the internal business of the society, is also made available to the public free of charge on the MinD website.

Ortsblätter

In Germany a total of 16 Ortsblätter (= regional newsletters) are published. Each has a unique character and is run by voluntary Editors, colloquially referred to as Eddis. Many Ortsblätter can be considered as magazines in their own right rather than newsletters. The editors are coordinated by Baki Sinanoglu.

  • Augusta for Augsburg and the surrounding area
  • BreMensie for Bremen and the surrounding area
  • Fragment for Frankfurt and the surrounding area
  • Hamlet for Hamburg and the surrounding area
  • MeDUSa for Dusseldorf and the surrounding area
  • Mensana for Munich and the surrounding area
  • MeNü for Nuremberg and the surrounding area
  • Milljöh for Berlin and the surrounding area
  • MinSH for Schleswig-Holstein
  • MiR for the Ruhrgebiet (area of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg)
  • Muh-Q for Hanover and the surrounding area

Regular Events

There are regular gatherings in all major cities and regions of Germany ranging from formal dinners to pub crawlings, clubbing and privately held game nights.

There is also a number of larger annual gatherings, among them:

  • The Mitgliederversammlung and Jahrestreffen: This is the official annual gathering where the members discuss and decide on important issues concerning the development of MinD. The "Mitgliederversammlung" is the formal general assembly, while the "Jahrestreffen" is the program organized for recreation, meeting other Mensans and having fun. It is held in a different city each year. Most recently, it was held in Munich (2009), Dortmund (2010), and Passau (2011), it will be held in Dresden in 2012, in Muenster in 2013. Likely candidate for 2014 is Freiburg.
  • Tag der Intelligenz - Intelligence Day, a weekend in September dedicated to the promotion of intelligence in general and the idea of Mensa. Admission tests with around 1000 participants in total, open houses and lectures in ca. 50 cities all over Germany draw much attention of local and national media and mark the beginning of a year end rally in testing and marketing activities.
  • Silvesterfeier - New Year´s Eve is celebrated in a different city every year.
  • Berliner Sommerfest - Each August more than 100 members meet in the German capital to have a good time together.

In 2008 it was celebrated in Weimar. The next FFF will be held in 2036.

External Link

Official website