The title of TESOL Italy’s 49th National Convention is “Connecting Languages, Connecting People TOGETTHERE.” The words together and to get there have been superimposed as one word to reinforce multiple layers of meaning and multiple possible readings in one. The to get there alludes to a common destination toward which TESOL as a field of study, as a profession, and as an international network of associations is working. This metaphorical destination represents the solutions to the manifold challenges we face in language education today.

To arrive at this destination, we must work together. We must not only communicate and collaborate with colleagues in ELT, but we should strive to strengthen connections with other fields of study and other subject areas, as well as with the real-world domains and contexts in which our learners (will) use languages outside of education. Moreover, we should draw connections between all World Languages and World Englishes used by our students and our peers, including English as a lingua franca, and we should draw connections between the experiences and perspectives of all stakeholders: most centrally our learners, but also practitioners, researchers, policymakers, publishers, exam boards, etc.

It is also important to note that this will be the first National Convention of TESOL Italy held face-to-face since 2019. As such, this year’s title also symbolizes TESOL Italy coming back together and reconnecting after five long years of meeting virtually. Various forms of telecollaboration have certainly become part of the so called “new normal.” But another lesson learned in recent years is the indispensability of meeting, sharing, learning, and networking in-person. Deep connections among colleagues and peers can indeed be mediated via technology, but there is no substitute for face-to-face human interaction.

The future destination of TESOL remains elusive. The path we must navigate together has not yet been paved. To start laying the groundwork, we propose:

• Exploring plurilingual and cultural landscapes (e.g., English as a lingua franca, World Englishes, translanguaging, internationalization, migration and refugees, multi- and plurilingual institutions and curricula);
• Enhancing language awareness, intercultural communication, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and disciplinary literacies (e.g., oracy, intercultural competence, critical
  language awareness, ESP, EMI, CLIL);
•  Sustaining learners’ and teachers’ professional development (e.g., professional associations, teacher education programs, government-funded teacher training, such as PNRR in Italy, publishers, non-profits);
• Responding to learners’ and teachers’ emerging communicative needs in plurilingual contexts (e.g., needs analyses, language audits, surveys, self-evaluation); and
• Embracing new technologies in language education and learner autonomy (e.g., generative artificial intelligence, language learning apps, telecollaboration, online exam proctoring).