H-Pem

H-Pem logo
Screenshot Screenshot of website homepage from September 27, 2019
Type of site	Art & Culture
Available in	en-US
Owner	Hamapem of Hamazkayin
URL	h-pem.com
Registration	Optional

H-Pem (stylized as h-pem) is a collaborative English-language Armenian cultural online platform and publication established by the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society.^[1] Launched and made available to the public on May 13, 2019, h-pem's mission is to reach Armenian communities around the world and help Armenians—particularly Armenian youth—(re)connect with their homeland and culture in new, creative, and cooperative ways.^[2]

In 2014, Hamazkayin's seventh General Assembly outlined the imperative creation of an innovative online platform to more effectively implement the organization's mission and to reach Armenians in the diaspora—specifically the Diasporan Armenian youth.^[3]

Following the General Assembly, a committee was put forth by the Hamazkayin Central Executive and Loucig Guloyan-Srabian was soon appointed as the project manager. Prior to the platform's actual development, Guloyan-Srabian held consultations with English-speaking Armenian youth across North America and elsewhere, to better understand their needs.^[4]

The project was named "h-pem" by combining "h" for the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, with "pem," the Armenian word for "platform."^[5]

Lilly Torosyan joined h-pem in 2017 as the assistant project manager and staff writer, while Rupen Janbazian joined the following year as the platform's editor, content manager, and data protection officer. Shahen Araboghlian, h-pem's social media strategist and management assistant, joined in 2019.

H-Pem was made available to the public on May 13, 2019.^[3]

In December 2020, the Hamazkayin Central Executive Board announced a "reduced version" of h-pem's activities and cut the platform's North American staff, citing a reduction in income since the onset of the economic crisis amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. ^[6]

Though most of the platform is open to the public, h-pem features a free membership option, which allows users to comment on articles, to submit their work and recommendations, and to interact with other users.

H-Pem's content is divided into two main parts: "Featured content," which features pieces written by contributors, and "Your stage," a space in which users' works are highlighted.

The "Featured content" portion of the platform is h-pem's online magazine, which includes stories, interviews, analyses, and profiles of Armenian cultural figures and achievers, as well as stories in pictures.

"Your stage" is an experimental space, which includes a multimedia guide and a submissions area, aspiring and established artists are encouraged to introduce and share their creative output. "Your stage" also features a section for collaborations with artists, writers, cultural executives, students, and graduates from multiple disciplines, as well as organizations, institutions, and community members, on focused projects.

The platform also features a section, which live streams Armenian cultural events around the world.^[7]