Gifted Youth Corner – July

News and views for gifted youth and their parents in Region 8 +

One of the most common questions I receive from Gifted Youth parents is if they can host events in their local group for their gifted child to meet other young Mensans in their area.  The short answer is “No, but…”.

Mensa allows Mensan and non-Mensan parents to volunteer as Parent Volunteers for their local group so that the group may better serve their gifted youth. This is not an officer position and has no title associated with it.  Additionally, parent volunteers serve with the understanding that they assist the elected and appointed officers by hosting and organizing events for the gifted youth in their group.

Parent Volunteer Requirements

  1. Must be a parent of a gifted youth under the age of 18
  2. Background check is approved by the National Office

Note: Applicants who have resided outside the United States during the past five years are not eligible to serve as volunteers as a full background check cannot be conducted.

Interested? Here’s the Process:

  1. Contact the Gifted Youth Coordinator, Lana Lee at lanalyzer314mensa.gmail.com and the Local Secretary of your region expressing the desire to serve as a parent volunteer
  2. The Local Secretary will notify the National Office’s Gifted Youth Program that the parent has their approval to serve in their local group
  3. The parent will complete and submit the background check form
  4. Once the background check is complete and clear, the parent will be notified that he/she is approved as a volunteer.
  5. Parent Volunteers will be added to the Gifted Youth Announce and Talk e-lists, and may join the GYC Facebook group

Background checks for volunteers working with children in local groups are required every 3 years or at the discretion of American Mensa.

Still Have Questions?  Contact me

Next Event (~July)

Molly Bundschuh, Gifted Youth Programs Manager on the Mensa Honor Society 

Coming Soon

  • Activities to Make New Friends: Virtual volunteering event for all ages, trivia contest, more online gaming!
  • Demonstrations: mobile app development, 3D printing
  • Speakers: video game designer, “How do we talk about nothing?”, discussion on if we should revive extinct animals

+ Columbia River Mensa, Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho/Montana, Mensa Alaska, Redwood Empire Mensa, Sacramento Regional Mensa, San Francisco Regional Mensa, and Southern Idaho Mensa…over 200 gifted youth!

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