An online Summit for parents who are exploring a different way to live, learn and thrive with their child!
March 20th-22nd, 2026
Whether you are just exploring, already started, or a seasoned unschooling parent, this Summit is your gateway to insights from 60+ unschooling experts, access to a global community, and engaging live sessions.
Unschooling is transformative for you and your child. Yet the journey can be both rewarding and challenging
There's so much to love about unschooling
- Seeing your child's natural curiosity come alive or reawaken.
- Building a deeper connection as you work in partnership with your child.
- Letting go of all the “shoulds” and embracing your child just as they are.
- Watching your child grow in self-knowledge and confidence.
- Having the freedom to honour yours and your child’s natural rhythms.
- Rediscovering your own passions and love of learning.
But it can be hard to put into practice
- Worrying that your child isn't doing enough.
- Worrying that you aren't doing enough.
- Struggling to build a supportive community for you and your child.
- Getting anxious about the future and of failing your child.
- Feeling tired and depleted by the lack of support.
- Feeling an immense pressure to get it all right.
- Getting triggered by old expectations around learning and parenting.
CONNECT with like-minded parents from around the world.
BE INSPIRED by world-class speakers and seasoned unschooling parents.
DISCOVER strategies to overcome common unschooling challenges.
EXPLORE how unschooling can be a powerful tool for social change and personal growth.
The Unschooling Summit is built around three key themes
OUR CHILDREN
OURSELVES
COMMUNITY & SOCIAL IMPACT
We've gathered an incredible lineup of internationally renowned speakers along with experienced unschooling parents. They’ll be sharing their knowledge and insights with you through prerecorded interviews, live roundtable sessions and live workshops.
Day 1, Friday 20th March
When to Encourage Your Unschooler and When to Hold Back
Naomi Fisher
Keynote
Deschooling Our Lives and Reimagining Education
Manish Jain
Keynote
Parenting in Partnership With Our Children
With Leslie W. Bray, Bria Bloom & Daniel Moeller
Fireside Chat
Helping Unschoolers Design a Life They Love
Lou Hollis
Reframing Maths and Parents' Anxiety About It
Ruth Rinaldi
Helping Your Teen Get Ready to Launch
Lainie Liberti
Why Compliance Isn’t the Goal With Your Neurodivergent Child
Kristy Forbes
Why Conscious Parenting and Unschooling are a Natural Fit
Domari Wearen
Summerhill School, and Freedom vs Licence
A.S.Neill Summerhill CIC
If I Hadn't Walked Out of That School—An Unschooling Journey
M Gilbert
Activism and Self-Directed Education in France
Ramin Farhangi
Join us live for our Day 1 Workshop and Roundtables
WORKSHOP
But what if…? Navigating fear, doubt, and trust when you step outside school.
With Becka Koritz & Sari González of Radical Learning
ROUNDTABLE
Deschooling Ourselves
Shifting our old beliefs and conditioning is an essential part of this.
ROUNDTABLE
Creating Community
How can we create the community that we and our children need?
ROUNDTABLE
Grown Unschoolers
Adults who were unschooled as children share their thoughts.
"I just wanted to thank and congratulate you for such a varied and incredible summit. It was a really wonderful conference and I’m sure it encouraged, supported and connected so many."
Attendee, The Unschooling Summit 2025
Day 2, Saturday 21st March
Tending Grief & Centering Joy as Unschoolers
Akilah S. Richards & Thea Monyeé
Keynote
A Vision for the Future of Education
Peter Gray
Keynote
Reclaiming Indigenous Learning
With Chévanni Davids, Ieishah Clelland-Lange & Chemay Morales-James
Fireside chat
What's My Role as an Unschooling Parent?
Sue Patterson
Letting Go of Perfectionism
Amanda Diekman
Unschooling and Big Life Decisions
Makeba Garraway
Helping Children Build Their Capacity
Em Hammond
Consent is the Cornerstone of Self-Directed Learning
Sophie Cristophy
Out in the World With Neurodivergent Teens
Meghan Suniga-Davies
The Importance of Nurturing Your Own Creativity
Cyrielle Tignard
The Natural Learning Journey of a Māori Māmā
Tina Talaic
Join us live for our Day 2 Workshop and Roundtables
WORKSHOP
Mindful Deschooling
With Esther Jones
ROUNDTABLE
Decolonising Unschooling
How can we be aware of and undo colonised beliefs about children and learning?
ROUNDTABLE
Consent & Autonomy
What does it look like to really give our children agency?
ROUNDTABLE
Neurodivergent Families
Unschooling neurodivergent childen can take some extra considerations.
"I left feeling inspired, validated, and not only clearer about our unschooling journey as a family, but with new tools, resources, and communities to explore as we find our way."
Attendee, The Unschooling Summit 2025
Day 3, Sunday 22nd March
How Our Childrens' Paths Become Clear in Hindsight
Pam Laricchia
Keynote Speaker
Unschooling and the Awkwardness of Being
Bayo Akomolafe
Keynote
This isn't How I Thought it Would Be!
With Anna Brown, Danii Oliver & Heidi Steel
Fireside Chat
Building Nervous System Capacity for Unschooling Parents
Melissa Crockett-Joyoue
Self-Directed Learning and Your PDAer
Eliza Fricker
Breathwork, Balance & Unschooling an Entrepreneurial Life
Emma Johnston
Unschooling as Healing Work: Beneath the Surface
Becka Koritz & Sari González
Deschooling and Adressing the 'isms'
Iris Chen
Creativity, Unschooling, and Life With Sir Ken Robinson
Kate Robinson
Living, Learning and Healing in Community
Las Boconas
A Conversation About Ivan Illich, Author of Deschooling Society
Pat Farenga
Join us live for our Day 3 Workshop and Roundtables
WORKSHOP
Setting Up a Flying Squad
Help your unschooled teens take up public space.
With Bria Bloom & Alex Khost
ROUNDTABLE
Self-Directed Teens
Supporting our young people in their living and learning.
ROUNDTABLE
Taking Care of Ourselves
How can we make sure to nurture ourselves as well as our children?
ROUNDTABLE
Looking Back
Parents of grown unschoolers reflect on their journeys.
"Thank you so much Esther and Melissa for putting this amazing summit together. It came at a great time for our family - I feel we needed a boost from the global unschooling community, and this provided that in spades. There have been so many fantastic contributors and panelists. It's been thought-provoking and reassuring"
Attendee, The Unschooling Summit 2025
Plus Daily Community Networking!
Come along and meet other unschooling parents in live online Zoom sessions, held on different time zones for our truly international audience.
Meet Your Hosts
Hi and Kia ora! We, Esther Jones and Melissa Crockett-Joyoue, are delighted to bring you The Unschooling Summit.
Esther is a UK-based mindfulness teacher, deschooling coach and mother of three unschooled children. She is the author of the recently-published The Parent's Handbook to Unschooling Yourself and she hosts the bi-weekly podcast, The Unschool Space, in which she explores the joys and challenges of unschooling with other unschooling parents. Esther works with parents who want to unravel the beliefs and conditioning that hold them back from embracing life in partnership with their children.
Melissa lives in Aotearoa (New Zealand), is Māori, AuDHD and the mama of two unschooled neurodivergent children. Her experience with understanding and meeting their needs deepened her commitment to helping others on a similar path. Melissa is the founder of Weave ND, an online membership community dedicated to neurodivergent unschooling families. She is especially passionate about working with neurodivergent parents and Indigenous families on their unschooling journeys.
What to Expect
When and Where
The Unschooling Summit will run from 20th-22nd March 2026 (UK time) with seven to eight recorded interviews with speakers and three live roundtables to choose from each day. The live roundtables and additional live workshops will also be recorded and posted up for replay ASAP after each live event. This summit is entirely virtual, so you’ll be able to attend from anywhere in the world with internet access.
Expert Sessions
Listen to our experienced speakers interviewed by Esther or Melissa, and attend the nine live roundtables (three per day to choose from), three live workshops and community sessions. or catch the replays. Your free ticket includes 48-hour access (to accommodate international time zones) to each presentation during the three days of the summit. An Unschooling Bonus Pack purchase gives you 12 months access to all recordings and more. See below for details.
Private Summit Community
Connect with parents from around the world in our private Facebook group for all our attendees. Sign up now to get your free ticket and you'll also get an invite to join our Facebook Community which will be open until the end of the summit.
It's a space for you to make connections with other unschooling parents and join in the lively discussions we will have happening there.
This year we also have Live Community Networking Sessions on Zoom.
Chances to Win
Show up and participate in the community for chances to win prizes throughout the summit!
We’ll be giving out an Unschooling Bonus Pack each day (or a refund if you already upgraded) plus books and memberships from our wonderful speakers and panelists.
Also see the Prize Draws listing below, for other major prizes up for grabs during the Summit.
Prize Draws
Everyone who signs up to attend the summit can enter a prize draw for a free annual membership with Weave ND community (a supportive online community for the parents of neurodivergent unschoolers), and a deschooling package with Esther Jones.
* One year's membership to the Weave ND online community $315 USD
* A place on Esther’s Mindful Deschooling Course, a tailored private session, and a copy of The parent's handbook to unschooling yourself $415 USD
Have Questions? We've Got Answers
How do I know whether this Summit is right for me?
When is this event happening?
What if I’m not able to attend live?
How long will I have access to the presentations?
Are the presentations live?
Will all the speakers get my email address?
Are your videos captioned or transcribed?
I still have questions!
Welcome to The Unschooling Summit from your hosts!
Unschooling is a transformative journey for both you and your child. The Unschooling Summit is your gateway to a global community, expert insights, and engaging discussions.
Join us for this incredible three-day virtual event and ignite your unschooling journey!
