Intertel (previously the International Legion of Intelligence) is a
high-IQ society
A high-IQ society is an organization that limits its membership to people who have attained a specified score on an IQ test, usually in the top two percent of the population (98th percentile) or above. These may also be referred to as genius socie ...
founded in 1966, that is open to those who have scored at or above the 99th
percentile
In statistics, a ''k''-th percentile (percentile score or centile) is a score ''below which'' a given percentage ''k'' of scores in its frequency distribution falls (exclusive definition) or a score ''at or below which'' a given percentage falls ...
(top 1%) on one of various standardized tests of intelligence. It has been identified as one of the notable high-IQ societies established since the late 1960s with admissions requirements that are stricter and more exclusive than
Mensa.
History and goals
Intertel was founded in 1966 by Ralph Haines,
following the example of
Roland Berrill
Roland Fabien Berrill (1897–1962) was a British-Australian who was the co-founder (with the English barrister Lancelot Ware) of Mensa, the international society for intellectually gifted people.
The founding of Mensa
Mensa was founded by Be ...
and
Lancelot Ware
Lancelot Lionel Ware OBE (5 June 191515 August 2000) was an English barrister and biochemist. He co-founded Mensa, the international society for intellectually gifted people, with the Australian barrister Roland Berrill in 1946. It was ori ...
(founders of
Mensa), who wanted to create an association adapted to the
gifted
Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average. It is a characteristic of children, variously defined, that motivates differences in school programming. It is thought to persist as a trait into adult life, wi ...
needs without any specific restriction of admission (with the exception of a minimum
IQ). Intertel thus became the second oldest organization of this kind, Mensa being the first.
The name "Intertel" derives from ''
International
Legion of
Intelligence,'' and its members are still known as "Ilians".
The organizations has three purposes, stated in its constitution:
* Encouraging a meaningful and lasting intellectual fellowship.
* Fostering an exchange of ideas on any and all subjects among persons throughout the world with a proven high intelligence.
* Assisting in research on matters relating to
high intelligence.
Organization and activities
Intertel is divided into seven regions, with the majority being in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. Region VI, also known as International, includes members from the rest of the world.
With over 1,400 members from more than 30 nations,
Intertel publishes a journal called ''Integra'' ten times a year, to which all Ilians can submit content. In addition, Region Directors publish quarterly regional newsletters, and members of the society organize local activities and exchanges besides interacting regularly via
email
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
,
online forums
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...
or
videoconferencing
Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio signal, audio and video signals by people in different locations for Real-time, real time communication. ...
. An annual gathering is held each summer.
Aligned with one of the goals stated in its constitution, Intertel's members also participate in research on high intelligence.
In 1978, Intertel established the international "Hollingworth Award" in memory of renowned psychologist
Leta Stetter Hollingworth
Leta Stetter Hollingworth (25 May 1886 – 27 November 1939) was an American psychologist, educator, and feminist. Hollingworth also made contributions in psychology of women; clinical psychology; and educational psychology. She is best known for ...
, who specialized in research on gifted children. This award was annually presented until at least 1993, first sponsored by Intertel and then the Intertel Foundation.
See also
*
Mensa
*
Triple Nine Society
The Triple Nine Society (TNS) is an international high IQ society for adults whose score on a standardized test demonstrates an IQ at or above the 99.9th percentile of the human population. The society recognizes scores from over 20 different ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
High-IQ societies
Organizations established in 1966
Giftedness
Organizations based in the United States