2009 was an eventful year for The Third Sector Assembly in Coventry, the interim Steering Group, recruited a project worker to gather ideas and inspiration from the Sector to help them form a coherent strategy for the Assembly.

This involved workshops with the Sector that looked at ideas such as;

• How an Assembly could benefit the Third Sector
• How everyone could get involved and be part of the Assembly
• How the Assembly could influence Key Decision makers and react quickly in changing times.

These workshops where followed up by an extensive period of consultation with the Sector. This work culminated in the following aims for the Assembly:

Purpose

To ensure the good governance of and provide support for the Third Sector Assembly in Coventry.

Aims and Objectives of the Third Sector Assembly Steering

• To increase the level and range of Third Sector involvement in planning/priority setting in Coventry
• To explore Third Sector issues of common concern
• To identify solutions and oversee their implementation
• To encourage the Third Sector to engage in consultations
• To encourage existing structures, forums and networks to build on successful practice and enhance their roles
• To support the development of a virtual cohort representative of a wide range of Third Sector organisations that come together to proactively lobby on key issues facing the Sector.
• To identify opportunities for learning, training and peer mentoring to the Third Sector to build confidence, skills and knowledge in effective partnership working.
• Develop a sustainability strategy for the Assembly

In order to meet some of these objectives the interim Steering Group recruited a cohort of Third Sector Organisations, who signed up to take part in questionnaires I would give a snapshot of the impact or thoughts of the Sector to a range of issues.

The third Sector Assembly was officially launched at the mini- Conference in November. This was an exciting and information packed Conference, attended by a wide range of Third Sector Organisations. Delegates had the opportunity to discuss with themselves and key decision makers such as the City Council and Coventry Partnership the role and influence of the Assembly in the City.

So where next?

The Assembly has just finished its elections, and have successfully recruited the following three people to the Steering Group:

• Brinder Seni from Stoke Community Culture Group
• Christine McNaught from Foleshill Women's Training
• Sarah Learmonth from Coventry Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC)

They will be joining:

• Gary Bye - Lifepath Trust
• Michael Vincent - Age Concern
• Mike Barnes - West Midlands Transport
• Saleem Sheikh - CEMAP
• Sue Bent - Coventry Law Centre
• Stephen Banbury - Voluntary Action Coventry (Chair of Coventry Partnership)
• Charlie Gibbons - Coventry Citizen's Advice Bureau

The newly formed steering group will be meeting in early February 2010 to plan the next steps for the Coventry TSA. These will include:

• Continuing to gather opinions to key issues through the Virtual Cohort
• Expanding it's presence on the Voluntary Action Coventry Website
• Developing a peer mentoring scheme to support Third Sector Workers who attend meetings/forums at which they would like to have more influence.