First personal curiosity, then the test, an increasingly intense involvement in the activities until reaching operational roles: regional secretary of Lombardy and, today, president.
Thirty-nine-year-old graphic designer Gaia Satta, from Cagliari, currently chairs Mensa Italia, the association representing those in the top 2% of the population in terms of cognitive ability. It was in this capacity that she attended her first national conference as president at the end of March. "I'm from Cagliari, where I lived for the first twenty years of my life and studied there," she explains. "Even though I had to move to Milan for work, I often return to visit my family, who are still all there." She has been president of Mensa since November 1st. "Outside of events, that means a few hours a day spent tackling emails, organizing, dealing with regulations, and dealing with problems that need to be prevented or contained," she says. "It's more bureaucratic work than what I did before, but no less stimulating. On the contrary."
Founded in Great Britain in 1946 and active in Italy since 1983, Mensa is accessible through a standardized logic test. It currently boasts over 150,000 members in 100 countries worldwide, while the associated Mensa Italia has approximately 2,500 members . But stopping at the numbers would be reductive, as demonstrated by the Genoa conference, held from March 27th to 29th. Hundreds of people from all over Italy attended, each with a common, yet not so obvious, characteristic: a high IQ. It was a multifaceted event: alongside informative meetings, such as the conference on robotics, the program featured games, contests, discussion panels, workshops, and social gatherings. For Satta, the Genoa conference was both a debut and a dress rehearsal. "It was very nice, but with this hint of stress that made me feel more involved," she explained. "I enjoyed it a little less from a relaxation perspective, because so many people were asking me so many questions and I had several meetings with the Council scheduled. But it was wonderful to see everyone again. And it was also exciting: it was my first event as president."
The national conference, Satta explains, remains a key event. "It's one of the three most important events in the association's life. Members have retained a firm hold on it as something they can't miss: the one where you expect to meet more people, network more, and even see something a little more institutional ." But, he clarifies, it's not an event that "sets the tone." Rather, he captures it. "It doesn't define what it will be, but rather interprets the moment we're living in. And above all, it allows new members to truly see a cross-section of the association."
The picture emerging today, according to the president, is one of a dynamic environment. "It's an environment teeming with people who want to get things done, who propose ideas, and we need to give them direction and tools." One particularly encouraging aspect: " What we're seeing most is an increase in young people. It's a trend that's been going on for a few years and we hope will continue ." One of the new board's goals, above all, is internal simplification. "We're trying to make things clearer and more fluid. Having clear guidelines doesn't mean complicating, but facilitating: when the tools are clear, it becomes easier for everyone to propose and organize." Alongside this, there's another front: international outreach. "One of the next steps is to push more international participation, create more partnerships, and more opportunities for meeting."
(Unioneonline/D)
