What is it?
BiCon is an annual long-weekend gathering for bisexual people, their friends, partners and anyone with a supportive interest in bisexuality. There are discussion groups and workshops all day and social space & entertainment in the evening. BiCon is a community event run entirely by volunteers and aims to be accessible to everyone who would like to attend.
This year we will be starting BiCon with a Community Day. The aim of Community Day is to facilitate networking, discussion, support and diversity between different community groups and organisations and the bisexual community. It's a chance for you to have your say and to ask questions.
Community Day is going to be an excellent opportunity for you to get information from national and regional organisations on issues that are important to you. It's going to give you the opportunity to have your say and discuss issues that are of interest to you. However, this won't happen without your participation.
If you want to have a voice, if you want to talk to organisations about what you want, then come along. Most of the listed organisations will only be there on Thursday 20th August. It's a real chance to talk to people and get involved.
UPDATE:
Free lunch for delegates – sponsored by Stonewall!
When and where is it?
See the community day timetable
Thursday 20th August 2009, 11.30 till 17.30 in the Student Union Building, University of Worcester.
You can book-in to BiCon reception from 10.00 (and collect your room keys if you have pre-booked acommodation).
Which organisations are booked to come?
The organisations booked to come are:
Bi Community News
Bi Cymru/Wales
Birmingham LGBT Community Trust
Bisexual Butterfly
Changing Attitude
HM Prison Service
LGBT Consortium
Rainbow Moot
SGI-UK (Buddhism group)
Stonewall and Stonewall Cymru
Terrence Higgins Trust
The Bisexual Index
Unionlearn/TUC
UNISON LGBT group
West Mercia Police
Worcestershire LINK
What do we mean by community?
A community is formed when a group of people come together because of common interests, values, problems, outlooks and aspirations. The bisexual community has come together each year for over 25 years because of a common interest in bisexuality..
Why do we need a community day?
We are a diverse group at BiCon with attendees of wide-ranging sexualities, genders, shapes, sizes, beliefs, races, tastes in music, socio-economic backgrounds, nationalities and ages. We come to BiCon for a variety of reasons to do with bisexuality – because we are bisexual, we have bisexual partners, family or friends, we have an intellectual or activist interest in bisexuality or because we enjoy the relaxed, accepting atmosphere of a safe bisexual space.
However, a community does not exist in isolation. We all are part of other groups too outside of BiCon and within BiCon. What we hope is, that a Community Day will give you the opportunity to link some of those separate communities together.
To talk to people from other communities.
To draw attention to the richness of the bisexual community.
To discover other groups that complement the work that we in the bisexual community do.
To find ways of supporting one another and working together.
To give you an opportunity to have your voice heard.
So, who is this aimed at?
You. You as an individual attending BiCon 2009. You as an organisation with an interest in supporting or finding out more about BiCon 2009 and bisexuality.
What organisations will be there?
We will be contacting organisations who do work or support people in the following areas:
funding
sexual health
bisexual activism
race
religion
disability
It is in the early stages of planning at the moment and as we have more news this section will be updated with details of organisations who have confirmed their attendance.
Which organisations would you like to see at BiCon 2009 Community Day?
This is where you as a community can help and have your say!
What organisations would you like to see represented at Community Day?
What information would you like have available?
What other communities would you like to reach out to?
Which organisations are you in touch with that you think would like to attend?
If you know of groups that you think would be interested in networking, supporting and finding out more about the bisexual community, then please let them know about Community Day. Invite them along by asking them to email sanji@… and directing them to this website.
What's planned for Community day then?
Community Day will be held in the Student Union building on the Worcester campus. Please see Venue for directions and maps. It will be held downstairs and is wheelchair accessible.
1) Community Fair:
The Community Fair will be an area where groups and organisations will be at stalls/tables ready and available for questions and conversations. They will have information about their organisations and be wanting to talk to you to find out how they can support you.
The number of stalls available is limited, so if you are interested in having one, please contact sanji@… as soon as possible.
2) Themed networking and discussion sessions:
Alongside the Fair there will be hourly discussion and networking sessions. These are to enable different people and groups to sit together to talk, plan and network on topics of mutual interest.
The sessions will be on the following themes:
a) Funding
b) Health
c) Diversity
d) Other themes to be confirmed depending on demand
What is it not?
It is not a marketplace. We will therefore, not be inviting traders to come along. If organisations wish to have a stall and might sell items, they will need to get permission from the BiCon team to do so by contacting sanji@…
Community Day Timetable – Thursday 20th August 2009
| TIME | ACTIVITY | ROOM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.00 – 11.00 | BiCon 2009 registration opens | University, main reception | |
| 11.00 – 11.15 | Community Day opens, delegate pack distribution | Students' Union entrance | |
| 11.15 – 11.30 | Welcoming plenary of Community Day | Students' Union, main hall | |
| 11.30 – 12.00 | Opportunity to look at stalls and networking | Students' Union, main hall and bar | |
| 12.00 – 14.00 | LUNCH BREAK, stalls and networking | Students' Union, main hall and bar | |
| 14.00 – 14.55 | Session A Health Issues |
Session B Community Partnerships |
Students' Union |
| 15.00 – 15.55 | Session C Faith and belief |
Session D Profile raising |
Students' Union |
| 16.00 – 16.15 | Break | Students' Union | |
| 16.15 – 17.10 | Session E Ethnic Diversity |
Session F Funding |
Students' Union |
| 17.15 – 17.30 | Closing summary of Community Day | Students' Union, main hall | |
| 17.30 – 20.00 | DINNER BREAK and Welcome to BiCon newcomer sessions | Campus | |
| 20.00 – midnight | Evening Entertainments and newcomer sessions | Main Building and Students' Union | |
Session A: Health Issues for bisexuals: An opportunity to discuss health issues for bisexuals focussing on mental health, sexual health and well-being.
Session B: Community partnerships: working with other organisations for mutual benefit and support. Who, how and why?
Session C: Faith and belief and the bisexual community: How do faiths and beliefs fit with bisexuality?
How tolerant is the bisexual community?
Session D: Profile raising: How can we help people find out about BiCon, the bisexual community and BiFests? What do we need in order to do this?
Session E: Ethnic diversity and the bisexual community: What do we mean by ethnic diversity? How can we engage with bisexuals from different ethnic backgrounds?
Session F: Funding: What do we want? When do we want it? How do we get it?
Questions
There may be questions you have that are not answered by the information here. Please feel free to email sanji@… with any BiCon 2009 Community Day related questions, information or booking requests.
(Archivist's note: a combination of the 'before' and 'just before' pages, so it is possible to see how it evolved and grew.)