Mensa has always encouraged members to congregate
around their special interests. Official recognition of Mensa's Special
Interest Groups began on Sept. 13, 1965, when the first two
SIGs were recognized: The Gifted Children Study Group and the Mensa
Investment Club. SIG growth exploded, from 23 to 106, during 1976
under the leadership of Groups Officer Virginia Hourigan. The program
expanded almost tenfold from 1975 to 1977 and reached a record 248
groups in 1980. The organization's formal SIGs policy was adopted in
1984.
In recent years the total number of active SIGs has
varied between 130 and 160. The SIGs program has evolved along with the
Internet, now including many free online discussion groups. Many SIGs
still offer a mailed newsletter and collect a small fee to help defray
mailing costs. Some SIGs are open to non-Mensans, and many SIGs actively
recruit Mensans internationally.
