Schedule at a Glance
Schedule subject to change as conference sessions are confirmed.
Friday, November 14th
We’re still finalizing our Friday pre-conference schedule, but we hope you’ll join us for a variety of opportunities to connect, learn, and kick off the weekend together! Stay tuned for more details soon about the following events:
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Co-op Staff and Managers Pre-conference
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ICC Co-op Tours
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Connecting Block (networking and social events)
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In-person identity based caucusing
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Institute Presenter conference kick-off
Saturday, November 15th
8:00 AM | Registration Opens
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM | Coffee & Connecting (Rogel)
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM | Welcome & Kickoff (Rogel)
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM | Course block 1
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM | Keynote (Rogel)
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM | Lunch on the town
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM | Collective Liberation Congress (lunch provided to CLC members)
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Course block 2
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM | Connecting block 2 (including NASCO Board Meet & Greet)
4:45 PM - 6:15 PM | Course block 3
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM | Banquet & Hall of Fame Ceremony
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Cooperative Game Night and Art Room Open
Sunday, November 16th
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM | Coffee & Connecting
9:30 AM - 12:45 PM | NASCO Annual General Meeting
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM | Course block 4
11:15 AM - 12:45 AM | Course block 5
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM | Lunch Plenary: “From Collapse to Cooperation”
2:15 PM - 3:45 PM | Course block 6
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Wrap-up and Goodbyes (and Co-op Swag Raffle!)
6:00 PM | Informal Faculty Dinner on the town
Program Highlights
Annual Events at Institute 2025 to Look Forward To
Every year co-opers look forward to learning, connecting, and celebrating at our annual events in Institute including:
ICC Co-op Tours: Walking tours to many houses that make up the ICC Ann Arbor houses
Hall of Fame Ceremony: A dinner and celebration of our Hall of Fame Co-opers nominated by fellow co-opers. Look out for nominations and don't miss this special event to honor co-opers.
Staff & Managers Event: Staff and Managers at co-ops have important jobs to keep our co-ops running. Come connect with other staff, managers, and executive directors at housing co-ops.
Annual General Meeting: All Members of NASCO are able to participate and vote in the AGM. This is a space for members to make changes to the NASCO bylaws, to elect the Active Member Representative to the NASCO Board, to hear from Diversity Congress, and to get updates on NASCO’s activities from staff. The AGM is open to all to view, but only AGM representatives can vote.
Identity-Based Caucuses
Caucuses are spaces for participants with shared identities to raise issues, build connections, and organize for change within NASCO, their own co-ops, and our broader communities. This year, caucuses will meet via Zoom in the month leading up to Institute, with an optional in-person opportunity to connect during Friday’s pre-conference programming.
Each caucus will elect representatives and bring proposals to the Collective Liberation Congress, which takes place during Institute. The Congress can advance proposals to NASCO’s Annual General Meeting and elects representatives to NASCO’s Board of Directors.
Course Tracks:
From Collapse to Cooperation
The theme course track will explore how cooperatives can respond to political, economic, and environmental crises by building systems rooted in equity, mutual aid, and collective care. Sessions may include practical tools for organizing, policy advocacy, and co-op development, alongside space for reflection, storytelling, and strategy-sharing. Together, we’ll examine how co-ops can be both a refuge from collapse and a foundation for a better world.
Canadian Co-ops
This year, we are offering a new course track on exploring and uplifting Canadian Cooperatives and Co-opers. Sessions will include stories and case studies from the Canadian Co-op movement, workshopping challenges specific to co-opers in Canada, and strategizing how to resource Canadian co-opers.
Staff and Managers
This year’s co-op staff track brings co-op staff together to build strong connections, share best practices, and learn new ways to tackle the unique issues they face, leaning into our conference theme of Mobilizing the Co–op Ecosystem. Sessions include a series of knowledge shares centered around specific staff roles and several opportunities to participate in our popular peer consultation sessions, as well as a number of sessions focused on concrete skills.
Cooperative Fundamentals
Keeping your co-op running smoothly requires a wide range of skills and a wealth of collective knowledge. Workshops in this course track will focus on building essential tools for maintaining your cooperative—from understanding member, board, and staff roles to dynamic facilitation and fair housing. This series is ideal for anyone who hopes to leave NASCO Institute with a foundation of knowledge and concrete skills to take back to their co-op.
Cooperative Leadership
A cooperative approach to leadership connects the human needs of members to a co-op’s mission and the day-to-day work needed to maintain strong organizations. Practicing cooperative leadership requires self-awareness, active listening, and gratitude when receiving criticism. Any cooperator can practice leadership when they uplift the voices of fellow members and actively work to share power equitably. This course track creates space for attendees to learn and practice core leadership skills.
Creating A Co-op
With the cost of living constantly on the rise, the demand for affordable housing solutions—like housing co-ops—is greater than ever. NASCO has pulled together a team of experts to take future co-op founders through the process of starting a new housing co-op, from clarifying the initial concept to drafting your business plan. Workshops in this series provide a comprehensive, step-by-step training program on the development process.
Cooperation Among Cooperatives
Working together with other cooperatives is a core part of what it means to be a co-op (it’s one of the seven Cooperative Principles!). Solidarity between co-ops helps each co-op serve its members most effectively and strengthens the cooperative movement as a whole. This course track features the work of cooperators across different sectors and highlights how housing co-op members can become more involved in the cooperative movement at large. Join us in these sessions to be inspired, expand your horizons, and dream big.