When 26-year-old Ani Arakelyan was forced to leave her home in Hadrut, Arstakh, in 2020, she carried with her more than memories. She carried questions — about loss, identity and the recurring patterns of Armenian history. 

Those questions became Zinq, a social media project she founded to bring Armenian history to younger generations. Through short, visually engaging videos, Arakelyan introduces her audience to figures such as Garegin Nzhdeh, Soghomon Tehlirian, Avetik Isahakyan, Hovhannes Tumanyan and General Antranig, weaving their stories into broader conversations about resilience, exile and national continuity.

“I came up with the idea of the Zinq project because relaying history to my people is something no one can take away from me,” Arakelyan told the Weekly. “It’s my mind, my history — and I’ve received great feedback.”

Ani Arakelyan posing with youth, embodying her belief that “Education is power”

Arakelyan received her early education in Hadrut and before earning a degree in finance and marketing with a focus on public relations. While her background might seem far removed from historical work, she describes her platform as a “personal necessity” after the fall of Artsakh.

“After the loss of our homeland, I wanted to understand why our history keeps repeating itself,” she said. “So, I set out to research and to learn.”

Unlike traditional historians, Arakelyan works from her phone and laptop, producing reels and short-form videos that reach thousands of young Armenians across the world. Her goal, she explained, is to make history feel alive — and to reclaim it from distortion or neglect.

“Some people say young Armenians don’t care about our history, but I see the opposite,” she stated. “Our youth are very receptive to learning, and I use my platform to cater to our youth.” She added that youth reach out, they ask questions, they want to understand who they are.

Ani Arakelyan in her element, educating our youth

Arakelyan funds her own educational outreach, offering Zoom sessions and in-person talks with Armenian youth across the world. She often travels to schools and villages across Armenia to lead informal discussions. “It’s the best feeling knowing that Armenian youth want to learn more about our history,” she said. “They give me energy and strength — they make my passion for Armenian history purposeful.” 

Her Zinq YouTube channel, available in both Eastern and Western Armenian, covers topics ranging from the Armenian alphabet to Tehlirian’s story and traditional dances. She hopes that her videos will serve not only as lessons but as a bridge — connecting Armenians across dialects, geographies and generations.

“Our history needs to be a mechanism for healing and understanding,” she stated.

“We can’t wait for others to tell it for us— or allow them to distort it.

 Being Armenian is a lifelong, purposeful mission. You can’t just love the homeland; you have to understand its history.”

For Arakelyan, the project is both an act of education and a quiet form of resistance: against forgetting, and against the silence that follows loss.

Follow and support her educational journey on Instagram and YouTube. She can be reached at aniarakelyan1915@gmail.com. 

All photos courtesy of Ani Arakelyan.