BY CONTRIBUTING WRITER STACEY SCHANZLIN
“WHAT CAN ONE PERSON DO?” This is the question at the heart of The Echo Foundation, a Charlotte-based nonprofit co-founded in 1997 by Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel and educator Stephanie Ansaldo. Through several transformative programs, the organization harnesses the power of education to inspire students to become the voices of conscience, necessary to create a more just and humane world. Students confront urgent humanitarian challenges, engage with global leaders and bring critical issues to light.
Since its founding, Echo has engaged more than 750,000 students and teachers from across 195 schools, delivering 29 award-winning, student-created curricula worldwide, and connecting 42 world leaders, including 15 Nobel Laureates, with local students. It also produced the award-winning documentary In the Footsteps of Elie Wiesel. Echo has mentored 101 Student Ambassadors through transformative travel programs and raised more than $8 million to support its programs and initiatives.
One of Echo’s signature initiatives is Voices Against Indifference, a curriculum-based program that connects high school students with global leaders who have responded to the world’s most pressing challenges. Echo’s 2025 theme, AI for Humanity, examines the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and its influence on society. The curriculum challenges students to explore the relationship between technology and humanity, and to consider the moral implications of innovation.
Last summer, eight Echo student interns dedicated more than 1,900 hours to developing the annual curriculum that examines AI’s impact on everything from education and healthcare to the arts and the economy. The program invites students to consider the ethical questions behind the innovation.
“Echo taught us that leadership doesn’t have to wait until you’re older,” says high school junior student intern Nandhana Ramesh. “As interns, we were trusted to do meaningful work, and that changed how I see myself and my peers.”
The curriculum continues through the nonprofit’s Footsteps Global Initiative, which gives Charlotte-Mecklenburg high school students the chance to learn about humanitarian issues through an immersive mix of study, travel and service.
This year’s program will take Echo Student Ambassadors across Europe, where they will meet with global leaders and connect with their peers abroad to see how global policy, justice and ethical decision-making play out in real life. Their travel culminates in their participation in the 2026 Youth Peace Summit at The Hague. They will then return to share what they learned with the Charlotte community.
“Our program teaches students that they can be compassionate leaders of tomorrow,” says Echo Foundation president Stacey Schanzlin. “Their curiosity and willingness to engage with the challenges shaping our world show what’s possible when learning is sustained and student voice is taken seriously.”
Looking ahead, The Echo Foundation is already building its 2026 and 2027 student-created curriculum: The Arts as Witness. Through Echo’s summer internship program, students will research and explore how artists have documented human suffering, resilience and hope–and how film, literature, visual art and music can challenge injustice and inspire action.
Ways you can help:
- Volunteer — share your time and expertise with students.
- Donate — support the development of free humanitarian curricula.
- Echo Society — join a dedicated group of sustaining donors.
- Corporate Sponsorships — partner with Echo to scale local impact.
To learn more about how you can support these initiatives, visit echofoundation.org.
To share an article idea, email Delia at ballantyne@strollmag.com.