Mensa Norway launches Icelandic branch

Mensa Norway is preparing to establish an Icelandic branch, mbl.is reports. The organisation, which brings together people in the top 2 per cent for intelligence, is marking its 80th anniversary this year.

Fredrik Strandabø, executive director of Mensa Norway, said the organisation was founded in 1946 after the Second World War. Its founders wanted to bring together highly intelligent people to discuss how future wars could be prevented.

Mensa now has members in more than 40 countries, with a combined membership of more than 160,000. Countries need at least 250 members to establish a fully recognised national branch within Mensa International.

Eleven people are currently members of Mensa in Iceland. The Icelandic group will initially operate under Mensa Norway, but it could apply to become an independent national branch if it reaches 250 members.

Mensa Norway was founded in 1978 and organises professional and social gatherings across Norway. It had around 3,000 members at the end of last year, and membership is growing.

The organisation also holds lectures and supports research, including work related to education. It operates funds that provide grants to researchers and university students, and offers people who feel isolated a safe place to meet others.

Strandabø said representatives would travel to Iceland next Thursday for a founding meeting and would support the Icelandic organisation in arranging events for its members. Intelligence tests will also be held in Akureyri and Reykjavík.