Kishanganj BDC Meet – Bihar Development Collective

BDC Meet held at Project Potential Campus, Kishanganj, Bihar | Feb 2023

Welcome to the Bihar Development Collective quarterly meetup, to be held on February 25-26th, 2023; at the eco-friendly eArthshala campus of Project Potential Trust, in Kishanganj district of Bihar.

You are advised to travel to reach by 24th Feb evening or latest by 25th Feb morning

The purpose of this web page is provide all the required information regarding the meetup, from travel to accommodation to all the FAQs.

For any queries that are not answered on this page, please reach out to us at bihardevcollective@gmail.com

Travel : How to get to the meetup venue?

By Flight

The nearest Airport is Bagdogra (IXB). There are direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and other major cities in India. The ecofriendly, eArthshaala campus is about 30 kilometers; an hour long drive from there.

By Train

The nearest railway station is Thakurganj (TKJ) and it falls on the main line between Katihar and New Jalpaiguri and onwards to Guwahati. There are plenty of trains from Patna and other parts of Bihar. Rajdhani Express does not stop here.

By Road

Thakurganj is well connected by road, and it is on the way to Siliguri, a major city of West Bengal. For Google Maps and other navigation, please use Project Potential Trust, eArthshala campus as the destination address. There are buses that ply from Patna, Purnea and Darbhanga too.

Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. – Amy Poehler

Program Outline

Day 1: 25th February 2023

9 am : Opening Remark and welcome by Project Potential team
9:15 am : BDC updates & Setting the context for the meetup
10:00 am : Expectations Mapping from the meetup
10:30 am: Break
11:00 am : Bihar Darshan Yatra Updates
12:30 pm : Networking Lunch
2:00 pm : Sharing Wins – a Workshop for all
3:15 pm : Tea Break
3:45 pm : Interactions with Project Potential Team and know their work
5:00 pm : Closure of Day 1
5:30 pm: Snacks and Tea
—

Options post snack:
Visit Bhadrapur in Nepal
Hang out in Thakurganj town
Do a photoshoot in the tea gardens
Casual Conversations and Charcha continues

Day 2 : 26th February 2023

9:30 am : Welcome note
10:00 am : Recap and Key takeaways from Day 1
10:30 am : Masterclass: 3 options (1 hour each, running parallelly)
11:45 am : Tea break and catchup on masterclass
12:15 am: About BDC Membership
1:00 pm : Networking Lunch
2:00 pm : Launch of website, Sharing of new proposals and initiatives
3:15 pm : Tea Break
3:45 pm : Signups for different proposals, groups creation
5:00 pm : Closure of Meet, Action Items for quarter
5:30 pm: Snacks and Tea
—

Options post snack:
Continue the discussions
Take a trip to Siliguri
Visit local villages nearby
Casual Conversations and Charcha continues

FAQs

Q: Is this meetup only for the members of Bihar Development collective only?
A: No, both members and non-members are most welcome. The members get a discount price to attend the meetup.

Q: Why is being held in Kishanganj and not in Patna, which would have been more accessible?
A: As per the policy discussed, we have been hosting the meetup at different partner organisation’s location. It also gives us an opportunity to see Bihar more closely, which many of us have not done so.

Q: Will there be accommodation provided during the stay?
A: Basic accommodation will be provided on the eArthshala campus itself. Staying on campus is needed to be able to get the most of the time available. Should you wish to stay in a hotel, there are many available in the nearby town Thakurganj.

Q: How many people and organizations are expected to attend this meetup?
A: We expect representatives from atleast 30 organizations working in Bihar for this meetup. Overall there would be around 50 people attending the meetup, which includes the team of Project Potential Trust.

Q: What are the dates and do I need to attend on all the days?
A: The meetup is planned for the 25th and 26th of February. It is advised to make travel plans to reach the venue by the 24th Feb. It is requested that you stay for all the days of the meetup.

Q: What can I expect to happen at this meetup?
A: The program of the meetup is carefully designed to ensure there is ample amount of learnings, opportunities for networking, socialize with other credible social entrepreneurs and enterprises working in Bihar. We also get to hear experiences and stories from work of various orgs.

Q: Will you be providing pick and drop from the airport , railway station?
A: We can only provide pick up from the Thakurganj railway station or the bus stand. From the Bagdogra airport, the pickup would have be arranged by oneself. The same applies for the drop after the meetup as well.

Q: Has any such meetups been organized before?
A: Since 2019, there have been numerous meetups, hosted by different organizations in Bihar. The previous meetup was held at Happy Horizons Trust in Saharsa, and at iSaksham at Jamui before that.