Project ECHO provides Southern California high-school students the opportunity to develop and present business plans to prominent members of the local business community. Project ECHO is distinct among organizations that provide business education to kindergarteners through 12th-grades in its emphasis on fostering on-campus businesses. Project ECHO encourages hands-on, experiential learning through the development and support of on-campus businesses and integrating modules on new-business creation into career-technology courses. Project ECHO was founded in 1996 in New York City and has moved its operations to Los Angeles County. It has run many successful programs in high schools throughout the county, and, most recently, its program at Santa Monica High School took first place at the SAGE World Cup Competition in Shanghai, China.
