hoping to start a bi support group any advice?

[swag85]

hi everyone. ive been looking for a bi support group here in london ontario, and i always hit dead ends. so im thinking of starting one. ive been putting up flyers around the city saying what i wanted to do, and that i wanted feedback from people on this issue. i know it will be alot of work but im ready for that.
a support group helped me in my time of need, now id like to help others have a safe place to go. and learn or talk. anyway if any of you have done this and have any pointers to make it better or go smoother id love to hear it. and if you are from the london area and would like to be involved please feel free to contact me. thanks for your help. either reply here, or to

richard_vic@hotmail.com or londonbigroup@hotmail.com
thanks again!

:flag2: :male:

[Diane54]

I have some helpful information
I will be contacting you Monday via IM or your e-mail with the particulars.

[Lorcan]

Good luck to you, Swag85.
i've often wanted to do this, but you kinda have to be a good facilator. They have a good bi support group in Denver because they have such a good facilator... he a trained psycholgist. (Though i do get tired of "how do you feel about this?" and want some honest blunt talk at times)

Anyway, in Denver they call the group "Gay, Straight and In Between" cuz you're going to get a lot of people who are questioning who they are.

I'll say the same thing that Swag85 said: if anyone in Colorado Springs area wants to form a casual bi support group... it only takes two! email me.

[bearisbare]

The best of luck to you, Swag85. I can also mention a couple of things that you may want to consider, if you haven't already.

Several years ago, there was a sizable bi group in your city. Eventually people seemed to move on. You may want to consider where you would want people to meet, if there is perhaps a community centre or a library that would accommodate a bi discussion group. I don't know if the Homophile Association of London Ontario (HALO) still meets or if they have a specific place where they would meet. If they aren't around anymore, you might want to look at where some other LGBT groups might hold their meetings.

A second factor is networking. I would suggest a look at the Mailing Lists section at http://www.torontobinet.org/resources.htm , part of the Toronto Bisexual Network's website. Several people who subscribe to the email lists you see there live in the London/K-W area.

[swag85]

thanks guys! cant wait to hear what you have for me diane. and about the whole doctor running a group would kind of make me uncomfortable you know. the one i went to was just people like me and it was really open. not just one person running the show. i understand there has to be a head person, so to speak. and im not afraid of public speaking i just want to give back. and give this city something that i cant find!
thanks for your nice words, and anyone else who posts also!

[swag85]

ya HALO isnt around anymore i tried to contact them with no luck! but thanks! ya i was going to ask around for places like that but i kind of hope i get a responce to my flyers for feedback, if not i will most likly do it anyway it will definatly be a few months down the road, if i do start i want atleast a month to 8 weeks of advertizing before the first meeting. i still have alot more flyers to get out there. just started them a couple days ago.

[AnotherVoice]

I've lived in London, Ont and it's a very conservative city. I'm not at all surprised you're coming across a lot of deadends. Good for you for wanting to start up your own group though. It may take time but be patience and you'll gain exactly what you're hoping for. Best of luck.