Diversity and Inclusion Chairs

Ziyu Yao, Gemma Bel Enguix, Maria Pacheco

Following the successful initiative of NAACL 2022, we are calling for expressions of interest to host affinity group workshops as part of the NAACL 2024 conference on June 16-21, 2024 in Mexico City.

Introduction

An affinity group is a collective of researchers formed around a shared interest or common goal. In our community, affinity groups promote and support the ideas and voices of underrepresented groups, and raise awareness of issues that affect their members. Previously, affinity groups like Queer in AI, Black in AI, Masakhane, LatinX in AI, and North Africans in NLP have organized socials and workshops in *CL conferences. In this call, we welcome expressions of interest to host workshops from all kinds of affinity groups.

The main aim of these workshops is to encourage folks from underrepresented communities to showcase their work and step into the NLP community. The NAACL 2024 D&I committee is committed to supporting the organization of these workshops.

Format of Workshops

Affinity workshops could be either hybrid or virtual. All affinity group workshops are required to have two features: a standalone program (lasting no longer than 1 day), and a shared poster session with other affinity groups (lasting 2 hours).

Standalone programs: Affinity groups can decide the composition and length of such programs. Standalone programs can include one or more of the following:

  • Keynote talks
  • Panels
  • Roundtable discussions
  • Paper presentations
  • Socials
  • Lunches
  • Art exhibits

Shared poster session: The NAACL 2024 D&I chairs will coordinate a shared poster session (in-person and virtual) featuring accepted works from all affinity groups.

Guidelines for Affinity Group Workshops

  • Affinity groups should coordinate and release their own call for contributions to be presented in their standalone programs and shared poster sessions. Affinity groups should handle all reviewing and acceptance decisions. The NAACL 2024 D&I chairs are happy to help promote the calls for contributions and final programs once they are finalized.
  • Affinity groups can invite submissions that are research proposals, works in progress, fully fleshed out research papers, or artistic expressions. The nature and format of submissions is left to the discretion of the affinity group organizers.
  • Affinity groups can feature contributions in any language. This is left to the discretion of the affinity group organizers.
  • We suggest the following timeline, but leave the final decision to the discretion of the organizers:
    • First call for papers: Late February (or earlier if expression of interest is submitted in January)
    • Visa-friendly submission deadline: Late March
    • Final submission deadline: Late April
    • Notification date: 2-3 weeks after submission

Submission of Proposals and Expressions of Interest

The proposals can include the following (the following are recommended, but you can structure the proposal however you prefer):

  • Abstract and rationale: A summary about your affinity groups and plans for the workshop.
  • Tentative program: Possible schedule, format of the sessions, arrangements between online / in-person modes.
  • Submission system: Timeline to release call for contributions, tentative review committee and submission infrastructure
  • Outreach plans: Plans for advertising the call for papers on social media and networks
  • D&I plans: Plans that you want to implement to increase diversity in participation and representation
  • Organization budget: An estimated budget for organizing.
  • List of organizers: Names, brief bio and emails of the organizers.
  • Expected attendance: How many people do you expect to attend your workshop? This number can be a very rough estimate.

You can send your proposal/expression of interest to the NAACL D&I team (naacl-2024-dei-chairs@googlegroups.com) in the form of a PDF file by Feb 16.

Earlier submissions are welcome and appreciated, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If you are unable to submit by Feb 16, please inform us and express your interest, so we can make arrangements for your workshop.

Registration Waivers and Travel Grants

NAACL 2024 will provide a limited number of registration waivers. Student volunteers will receive registration waivers. The Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) budget will also support a limited number of qualified authors and organizers from underrepresented groups, developing countries or in financial need. Applications for waivers and travel grants will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. More details will be provided in the future.

Additional Notes on NAACL 2024 Arrangements

Rooms for workshops and shared poster session: The NAACL D&I chairs will make the arrangements to provide affinity workshops with a room to hold their standalone program, as well as the shared poster session. More details will be provided later.

Remote presentation option: The format of the conference will be hybrid so remote presentations will be possible. Note that affinity group workshops could also be fully virtual. More details regarding this will be announced in the future.

Visa applications: We understand that authors may face visa issues and processing