DeSchool 2026

Following up on the success of DeSchool 2025 , Degrowth Institute is hosting DeSchool 2026 this summer in Oberlin, OH, in collaboration with the US Society for Ecological Economics.

On June 18th, we will be hosting a Degrowth Assembly at Oberlin College, followed by an evening of music and dance.

From June 19th-21st, we will be hosting a series of degrowth sessions at the USSEE Conference, also held at Oberlin College.

DeSchool 2026 is organized by Degrowth Institute, and co-sponsored by Leadership for the Ecozoic, PivotAll, US Society for Ecological Economics, and Wellbeing Economy Alliance.

About the Event

DeSchool 2026 includes 3 main offerings:

  1. The Degrowth Assembly is a full-day degrowth movement-building gathering, comprised of participatory workshops, movement history, mapping and strategic planning, and an open discussion and collaboration forum.

    The Assembly will run from 9:00AM-5:00PM on Thursday, June 18th, and is open to the general public. Attendees of the US Society for Ecological Economics (USSEE) 2026 Conference may attend the Degrowth Assembly for free. The Assembly, and the USSEE conference, will both be held at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH.

  2. We are also hosting an evening music and dance starting at 7:00 PM on June 18th, which will be a chance to network, socialize and enjoy the music of local performers and some of our DeSchool alumni!

  3. In addition, DGI is hosting three degrowth sessions at the USSEE conference, from June 19th-21st. These events are only open to USSEE Conference attendees. The degrowth sessions will be a combination of informational presentations and hands-on workshops, led by a variety of researchers and leaders in the US degrowth movement.

DeSchool 2026: Assembly Schedule

June 18th, 2026 | Oberlin College

  • 8:00 AM-9:00 AM: Registration; Coffee & Tea

  • 9:00 AM-9:30 AM: Opening & Land Acknowledgement

  • 9:30 AM-10:00 AM: Roots of the US Degrowth Movement (Jason Barahona Rosales, Degrowth Institute)

  • 10:00 AM-10:30 AM: US Degrowth: State of the Movement (Anna Prouty, Degrowth Institute)

  • 10:30 AM-10:45 AM: Break

  • 10:45 AM-12:15 PM: Strategizing the Degrowth Movement (Emma Schoenberg, The Magpie Project)

  • 12:15 PM-1:15 PM: Lunch

  • 1:10 PM-2:40 PM: “Degrow It Yourself”: Participatory Degrowth Campaign Design (Kumar Jensen, Baseline Institute)

  • 2:40 PM-2:50 PM: Break

  • 2:50 PM-4:20 PM:(De)Growing Your Community: Local Organizing for Degrowth (John Lydon, Degrowth California)

  • 4:20 PM-5:00 PM: Open Forum

Following the Assembly, the USSEE Conference will kick off with an evening reception at 5:30 PM, also at Oberlin College. Unlike the Assembly, the reception is only open to USSEE conference participants. However, there will be an evening music and dance “soirée” open to all starting around 7:00 PM on June 18th.

In addition to the 6/18 Degrowth Assembly, DGI is also sponsoring three degrowth sessions at the 2026 USSEE Conference.

These sessions will be led by DGI partners and staff, and focus on different timely topics in the field of degrowth research and education.

Our partners at Leadership for the Ecozoic will be leading the session:

  • New Horizons for the Political Economy of Degrowth,
    presented by Jukka Kilgus, Danish Hasan, Liam Grima and Matthew Burke

Our partners at PivotAll will be leading the session:

  • Degrowth in Action: How Local US Businesses Are Serving as Models of Operationalized Degrowth Principles,
    presented by Stella Martinez McShera and Lauren Goetze

And DGI is co-leading the third session:

  • Degrowth Curriculum: Activities, Experiments, and Brainstorms,
    presented by John Mulrow and Kendrick Hardaway

How to Register

There are two ways to register for the Degrowth Assembly:

  1. Register for the USSEE Conference (CLOSED) If you are able to do so, we encourage you to register for the 2026 USSEE Conference, so you can attend the Assembly for free, as well as attend all of our other events happening over the course of the conference. Registration for the USSEE Conference closed on May 7th, 2026.

  2. Register only for the Degrowth Assembly (STILL OPEN!) If you cannot attend the full USSEE Conference, you may still register to attend the June 18th Degrowth Assembly. However, you will not be able to attend the other degrowth sessions that are part of the conference.

If you have any questions on any of these events, please contact anna@degrowthinstitute.org.