Marketing Wrap for July
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Smart benefits
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NAG Teaser
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Letter from International Director of Administration 6 Autistic Genius gives life-changing TED talk
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70th Anniversary Celebrations
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SIGS
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Events
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Fun stuff
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AGM
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One of the benefits of belonging to Mensa is the opportunity of meeting new people and socializing. This is done via Special Interest Groups (SIGs). The SIGs fall under the individual regions and each one has a purpose and a member who heads it up. Under “Marketing Wrap” you will find feedback on some of the events that have happened in the different regions in the SIGs. Please find further details on page 10. We would love to hear your comments, suggestions and thoughts so get in touch with us today! Keep warm!
Heidi Franck EDITOR Webpage: www.mensa.org.za
chronicle@mensa.org.za
National Chairperson: Simone Deyzel-O’Brien chairperson@mensa.org.za National Treasurer: Schalkwyk van der Merwe National Marketing Officer: Lorraine Steyn marketing@mensa.org.za National Secretary: Cinzi Busi secretary@mensa.org.za National Admin Officer: Yvonne Steyn admin@mensa.org.za
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Marketing wrap for July
Our coastal regions have been very busy in July. We have some fun pics and events below from KZN, Cape Town and Winelands.
Pretoria has been frantically busy organized a kick-ass National Annual Gathering for us. I can highly recommend coming to the NAG – it is the one time of the year where members can meet people from other regions. Great friendships are forged over wine (or hot chocolate), with deep conversations and many interesting activities. This will be held on the 19th August in Pretoria.
A number of regions are also using WhatsApp to communicate with members and arrange events. This looks like a great idea as it increases communication between members and is way more responsive than email! KZN and Winelands have active WhatsApp groups and we encourage other regions to try it too!
those interests will be informed of your event (or in our case, testing dates), and you reach people not generally in the Mensa information loop.
The Mensa Facebook Group (members only) has continued to be a harsh environment with more criticism than healthy debate. It is a great pity when we lose contributors due to a few aggressive or dysfunctional people. We hesitate to apply censorship, but do need to find a process that will give value from our social media. If you aren't on our Facebook page, come along and help to restore the balance. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/me nsa.za/
Events in the Regions this month
KZN had something for the kids at the Young Mensans treasure hunt:
Cape Town and Winelands are also using Meetup.com to attract new members. It is still early days and we will report back in a few months to let you know if it works for us. The idea is that you advertise your events under tags like "intellectual discussion, philosophy, debate" etc. People on Meetup with 2
KZN also had a transport theme to their outings: a 20km cycle, and a wellattended Cryptic Rally on the 23rd July: Winelands gazed at the stars, on a slightly cloudy and very cold evening. The craft beer and a fascinating speaker made up for the chill!
Cape Town has held two Supercar Saturdays. This involves breakfast at one of the showrooms (we visited Maserati and Lamborghini this Saturday), lots of drooling over overpriced machinery, and some lucky members getting a spin in a supercar! 3
Mensa SA Smart Benefits – www.bookshelf.co.za
Process:
Pretoria made merry at the new members evening and social SIG:
1. Register on the site here. 2. Once registered, send an email to marketing@mensa.org.za including the email addresses you used to register on the site, as well as your Mensa SA membership number. 3. Enjoy a 15% discount on any purchases. Although you will only be shown a figure of 3%, this is on top of the 12% discount the store offers as standard. 4. It’s that simple. No reason not to go set it up right now!
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WANTED – YOU AT OUR NATIONAL ANNUAL GATHERING MENSA PRETORIA IS HOSTING THE 2016 AGM GET READY TO KICK UP YOUR HEELS, ‘CAUSE WE’RE MAKIN’ A BIG DEAL DATES: FRIDAY, 19 AUG 2016 14:00 ‘TIL SUNDAY, 21 AUG 2016 10:00 VENUE: INTUNDLA CONFERENCE VENUE (Hammanskraal Road (R628), Dinokeng, Pretoria) Prepare y’all for a weekend of foot kickin', finger clickin', leather slappin’, hand clappin' good grub, hookin’ up with good friends, testin’ your mental and muscle mettle at High Noon , enjoyin’ a tush pushin', thunder footin', no resistin', steel twangin' ride into the wild green yonder at sundown, a good ol’ fashioned floor scufflin', leg shufflin', big grinnin', body spinnin', rompin' stompin', pumpin' jumpin', slidin’, glidin' hoe-down and even gettin’ down to the serious business of havin’ our Annual General Meeting. A cowboy is a man with guts and a horse. For those of you who still got the energy on Sunday mornin’, y’all can choose to go ridin’ on this here iron horses, known as “quads”. If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride! DRESS CODE: For High Noon and Hoe-down it’ll serve you well to pack your boots and your hat, and remember the words of a wise ol’ cowboy: Don’t squat with your spurs on… REWARD: There are many rewards to be won, so keep your eyes peeled for ways to enter. COSTS: Early Bird Special (if booked before 24 June 2016): R2 500.00 single; R2 050.00 per partner sharing OPTIONAL EXTRA EVENT: R350.00 per person Quad Iqembu - Quad Biking Adventure (refer to the Booking Form for full particulars) BOOKING: To book, visit http://mensa-mentor.blogspot.co.za/?m=1
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From the Director of Administration IN MID-MAY, the Executive Committee of Mensa International met to discuss the direction Mensa is taking and to start preparations for the Agenda for the International Board of Directors (IBD) meeting later this year in Kyoto, Japan.
One of the most significant results of the May meeting was the formal recognition of the national groups in both Romania and Slovenia as Full National Mensas. Having fulfilled all the requirements, both countries will now sit on the IBD, with full voting rights. Congratulations to both! The expansion of the documents’ repository on the international website was discussed. We wish to ensure that there is a full library of How-To’s already developed by various countries to act as guidelines, saving officers from every country having to reinvent the wheel. However, it is not enough to have a broad content – it must be easily findable and retrievable when wanted. So the Web Board is currently looking at the navigational pathways of the website in a bid to make it easier for all members to find specific areas.
Public Relations We discussed communications, corporate image, and the role envisaged for the new Communications Officer, Ivett Vancsik. Our approaching 70th Anniversary in October will provide an ideal launching pad for a series of press releases and a general increase in publicity for Mensa around the globe.
70th Anniversary October will mark 70 years of Mensa. There will be a big birthday party held in Japan over the weekend of the IBD meeting. This is NOT restricted to IBD and Japanese members. Any member may attend the full weekend, or just the Gala Dinner. Please check the
Reprinted from Mensa World Journal, issue #042, July, 2016 Editor Kate Nacard
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website for updates and contact details. A special Souvenir Anniversary Issue of the Mensa World Journal will also be issued in October. It will contain a copy of the first ever Mensa Journal, edited by Roland Berrill. A formal logo for the 70th Anniversary has been designed. Both the logo and guidelines for its use are available from MWJ Editor Kate Nacard, or myself, as Director of Administration (see International Directory in this issue).
www.blumenstein.cz/DSNM/Testing/Kr akow We also discussed trademark registration and protection, proceedings on fake Facebook groups, he future of the LEAP (Leadership Ambassador Exchange Program), new appointments and charges, website hosting, financials, the next international election, which will enable e-voting for the first time, and social media. More on these in future issues of the Mensa World Journal.
Mensa Test Tomas Blumenstein, the Director for Small National Mensas, has planned another national PR event to be held during The European Mensa Annual Gathering (EMAG) in Krakow, Poland (see MIL website for details). The meeting, to be led by our Inter
Therese Moodie-Bloom Director of Administration
national Supervising Psychologist Kristof Kovacs, aims at the general exchange of experiences and specific preparation of a new Mensa IQ test. It is hoped that a representative connected with testing or the coordination of proctors from each country will attend. The representatives (or their national mensas) will need to pay their own fares and accommodation, but Mensa International will cover the EMAG registration of all participants in this meeting. Details and registration form are available at Reprinted from Mensa World Journal, issue #042, July, 2016 Editor Kate Nacard
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Autistic Genius Gives LifeChanging TED Talk By Jeffery Alan Ford
“My name is Jeffery Alan Ford. … I’m autistic … and … I’m a genius.” Thus began my TED Talk at TEDxMSU in East Lansing, Michigan’s Wharton Center.
I had been in the Wharton Center many times before to watch the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Willie Nelson, musicals, operas, etc. My daughter had watched the Broadway production of Wicked there and was sitting in the audience once again, but this time looking up at her father who was taking command of the big stage with his simple truths, humor, and brutal honesty. “Like many people who are autistic my eyes are highly photosensitive. I’m socially more awkward than I’d like any of you to know. And large crowds? FORGET ABOUT IT!” (crowd laughs) “But it’s like what John Wayne said, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” And I’m really glad I saddled up to come to speak with you here tonight.”
I shared with the crowd that I was recently honored in the Michigan House of Representatives for winning the World Genius Directory: 2016 Genius of the Year Award. I told them that I have the same form of autism (Asperger’s Syndrome) that experts now believe Einstein, Mozart and Michelangelo had and how our differences make every single one of us special in a myriad life-affirming ways. My biggest fear going into TEDxMSU was that I might horribly embarrass not just myself, but also my daughter. I’m not like most people. I’m the same guy who when my autistic difficulties are flaring up will often refuse to leave my home for over a week at a time in order not to horribly embarrass myself in public. I’m also the same guy who gave up
Reprinted from Mensa World Journal, issue #042, July, 2016 Editor Kate Nacard
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participating in poetry readings because of the unbearable anxiety I experienced speaking to groups that often ranged from only 7 to 20 people – and there I was standing on a giant stage in a venue that holds over 2,400 people! What was I thinking? I was thinking that perhaps I didn’t need to be perfect in order to make a difference … I just needed to be perfectly me. And you know what? I was right! My daughter came up to me during intermission and gave me a huge hug and told me how much she loved my TED Talk. Many people reached out to tell me how deeply my talk touched them and shared their own personal stories with me. I was also selected by the local media for an interview.
70! Mensa International’s formal 70th Anniversary celebrations will be held in Kyoto Japan, during the International Board of Directors’ meeting.
October 13 - 16, 2016 For registration and information, www.mensa.org
So please, don’t wait until you’re perfect before stepping out of your comfort zone to make a difference because you’ll be waiting forever! Just be the best, most authentic you possible. You, and the world, will be forever changed and glad that you did!
MIL CONTACT DETAILS Office Tel/Fax: +44(0)1400272 675 mensainternational@mensa.org
Reprinted from Mensa World Journal, issue #042, July, 2016 Editor Kate Nacard
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JOBURG SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIGs) Parent SIG: Beccy Stone
WINELANDS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIGs) Join the Winelands SIGs WhatsApp groups by sending a WhatsApp message to the WhatsApp group co-ordinator.
stones@yebo.co.za
Discussion SIG: Board games SIG:
Erik Eloff 083-792-2643
Karini Govender Karini.govender@gmail.com
Philosophy SIG:
Games Mensans Play (Board games SIG): Grant Bรถttcher 073-072-0011
Jacques Rossouw Js.rossouw@gmail.com
Mensa Musos: Roelof van der Merwe 082-443-5687
Social SIG: Miriam Jorna
Hiking SIG:
hoimir@gmail.com
Gerry Steyn 082-651-1871
Mensans at play: Amanda Horn amanda78horn@yahoo.com
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Thursday, 8 September Winelands Social – wine blending at Stellenzicht Please refer to www.mensa.org.za/events for further details.
EVENTS CALENDAR Thursday, 18 August 19h15 Winelands Speaker Evening Friday, 19 August – Sunday, 21 August NATIONAL GATHERING
https://www.facebook.com/mensa.za/
Tuesday, 23 August KZN Gourmet SIG Thursday, 25 August
Need to challenge you brain – here are some fun websites:
Winelands Board Games SIG Tuesday, 30 August 18h00 Cape Town AGM and dinner
http://www.funtrivia.com/
Thursday, 1 September Winelands Mensan Muso music evening
https://www.riddles.com/
Saturday, 3 September 9h30 Winelands Testing 9h45 KZN Testing 10h00 JHB Testing
http://puzzling.stackexchange.com/
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