The Alabama – Mississippi TESOL affiliate (AMTESOL) is excited to announce its first Advocacy Conference to be held October 13, 2018, in Oxford, Mississippi. AMTESOL hosted the Southeast TESOL conference in 2017, and knowing that the 2019 TESOL conference will be in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the board decided 2018 would be the perfect year to host a smaller conference for local professional development opportunities. Due to increased interest in advocacy at the local, regional, and national levels, the AMTESOL board chose to hold a two-day advocacy conference using the national TESOL Advocacy Summit as a model.

Advocacy is considered a key aspect of the ESOL teacher’s role and is currently on the TESOL International Research Agenda (2014). The TESOL Advocacy Summits in Washington, D. C. have drawn TESOL professionals from across the country. Participants learn key advocacy skills, participate in workshops, and spend a day on Capitol Hill meeting legislators to explain TESOL positions on upcoming legislation before the US Congress.

AMTESOL is planning to have several guest speakers as well as break-out sessions devoted to understanding key issues and developing advocacy skills. TESOL educators and those interested in advocacy in their local context will enjoy this invigorating day of learning the skills to take their advocacy to the next level. More information will soon be available at www.amtesol.org.

Jamie Harrison is an assistant professor of ESOL Education at Auburn University. She was an ESOL teacher in K12 public schools in Georgia and also taught adult ESL in a variety of settings including Taegu, South Korea; intensive English programs in Florida and Georgia, and community English classes in Georgia and Alabama. Her research interests include implicit and explicit beliefs and attitudes, and the role of an ESOL teacher as advocate.