The Ararat Project
About Us
history and goals
"Because survival is insufficient."
-Ronald D. Moore
Founded by Garret R.S. Winegar and Sophia Stento, the South Orange Chapter of The Ararat Project hopes to help its founders and others comprehend what power is.
Since early 2025, we have developed this project with the primary hope of rejuvenating civic culture and healthy dialogue. We now wish to formally open this up to the community at Seton Hall, New Jersey, the United States, and the world at large. Guiding this pursuit is our motto and our guiding question: comprehend what power is.
The pursuit of truth is ultimately that; a process, and in our results oriented society we often diminish the sheer importance of process. Here at The Ararat Project, we believe that the means justify the ends, and not the other way around. As AI and other technologies seem set to leave us all behind in their output, the processes of being human from the day to day life to the creation of a masterpiece are more important than ever. The Ararat Project seeks to try and foster thinkers that are going to put in the necessary work to not only help others physically, but help themselves psychologically as well.
Equally at play is our recognition of the dire circumstances our generation faces. Rampant loneliness, a lack of meaningful community and a desperate search for identity in a world that seems so chaotic and meaningless has driven countless youths to despair, anxiety and in many tragic cases, death. It is absolutely our objective then to organize community, and do our part in counter acting this, by offering relief from the epidemic of loneliness and anxiety so definitive of our age.
FAQs
Who are we?
We are The Ararat Project, an open space forum dedicated to contemplating the good life and putting it into action. Here we discuss anything and everything related to the human experience, in order that we might ultimately be better human beings.
Why did you start this?
In light of the enormity of the problems facing the world today, we wanted to give both others and ourselves a space to practice being better human beings, so that we could perhaps be a more positive influence on the world.
What’s with the name?
“Ararat” is a symbolic name with many meanings. Literally, it refers to a mountain named after the biblical landing place of Noah’s Ark. Symbolically and spiritually, it refers to a place of refuge after a time of great trouble, a higher place that is above what was before and serves as a foundation for what comes next.
Ararat represents an ultimate desire as human beings to be somewhere better than we are. The project seeks to do just that, hence; the name.
But what do you actually do?
Ararat has no backing from any government, corporation or major institution. We are a small organization founded and run by concerned students who simply seek to foster better discourse and thinking. Think of Ararat as less of a coherent movement and more of an informal school: we hope to educate people not by teaching them facts but by helping them hone skills, namely; social, emotional, and critical thinking skills.
Who can participate?
Anyone! We cater primarily to deep thinkers, but you don’t need to have a university degree or be well versed in philosophy: you just need to be human. Whether you’re deeply religious or devotedly atheist, left or right or somewhere in the middle, no matter your flavor of zeal or ideology, anyone can participate.
We only ask that you first review our ground rules [here], namely that we prohibit the encouragement and endorsement of violence of any kind.
Is there a catch?
No. Ararat is completely free, and you only have to participate as much as you choose to. We do have some ground rules, which are attached [here].
What does a typical post look like?
Whatever you want it to be! While we do ask that people refrain from posting lewd or NSFW content as we want to keep this space open for users of all ages and comfort zones, the floor is pretty open. Some typical examples however may include:
- Posing a discussion question
- Analyzing a work of writing or art
- Posting a work of writing or art
- Reflecting on a personal experience or opinion
How do I get started?
You can sign up [here] to make an account and begin making posts. It’s as simple as putting in an email and password. We are also working on adding two factor authentication in the future.
Do you collect personal data?
No. Ararat is not for profit, and we have no use for collecting and selling your data like Google or Microsoft does. We promise to try and keep data collection to the bare minimum, and we encourage our users to hold us accountable to that.
How do I get more involved?
If you are interested in getting even more involved with Ararat, you could consider founding your own chapter. Our founding chapter is located in South Orange, New Jersey. If you are part of a school or other organization, you should investigate your local procedure for creating an organization chapter. Other than that, you don’t have to ask us for permission to form your own chapter—though we would appreciate it if you reach out to us and let us know, as we’d love to hear from you and help you get started.