APPS
APPS
Diversity is sacred. Diversity fosters inclusivity and a rich variety of perspectives. Diversity is the road to peace. – PATRICK McCOLLUM
As a trailblazer to global peace and a world that lives in homeostasis, Patrick Mccollum has taken the lead across many hands-on initiatives the last 5 decades. From chaining to trees for preservation of local vegetation, to joining the Dalai Lama’s International Peace Council. From the UN’s Children of the Earth, the Association for Global New Thought (AGENT), to camping out to protect Standing Rock’s sacred grounds. Honored with the Mahatma Gandhi Award, to the US Commission on Civil Rights.
His friend Jane Goodall and Patrick together have formed an alliance for ecological peace that also includes Vandana Shiva, H.H. Puja Swami, Chidanand Saraswati, and H.H. Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja. Now he is bringing his story and mission to CORE.
Rev. Patrick McCollum has dedicated over five decades to pioneering efforts toward global peace and environmental harmony. From grassroots activism like chaining himself to trees to protect local ecosystems to serving on the Dalai Lama’s International Peace Council, his life's work exemplifies unwavering commitment. His advocacy spans initiatives such as the UN’s Children of the Earth, the Association for Global New Thought (AGENT), and Standing Rock, where he camped to defend sacred Indigenous lands. He has been recognized with honors like the Mahatma Gandhi Award and acknowledgment from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Collaborating with visionaries such as Jane Goodall, Vandana Shiva, H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, and H.H. Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja, McCollum has forged alliances for ecological peace. Now, he brings his story and mission to CORE.
Widely regarded as one of the original "tree-huggers," Rev. McCollum is an internationally recognized spiritual leader whose work in human rights, social justice, and interfaith equality transcends cultural, religious, and political divides. He is the creator of the World Peace Violin, an official United Nations symbol for world peace, and continues to inspire with his dedication to harmony and unity.
Currently, at the invitation of Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon, McCollum is focused on supporting tribal communities in reclaiming their lands. By helping to restore the Amazon’s ecological balance—the heart and lungs of our planet—he aims to foster a broader global equilibrium. Rev. Patrick McCollum’s journey stands as a testament to the transformative power of compassion and collaboration in creating a more peaceful world.
The McCollum Foundation is dedicated to discovering and implementing positive, sustainable strategies that foster local and global peace across all areas of life. By collaborating with both world leaders and marginalized voices, the Foundation aims to create equitable living conditions for all, promoting harmony and balance on a global scale.
Currently, the Foundation's primary focus is working with the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, at their invitation, to reunite multiple tribes and support their efforts to reclaim ancestral lands. This work is critical to restoring balance to the Amazon, the heart and lungs of our planet, and fostering ecological and social stability worldwide.
Another cornerstone of the Foundation’s mission is The World Peace Violin, a powerful symbol of unity and healing created by Rev. Patrick McCollum. Played by its official musician and ambassador, Scarlet Rivera, the violin serves as a United Nations symbol of peace, traveling the world with McCollum to inspire peace and healing through its music.
To learn more about the McCollum Foundation and its transformative work, visit www.patrickmccollum.org.
Patrick McCollum has a 50-year commitment to helping raise up the voices of Indigenous Peoples across every continent, empowering them to be seen, heard, and appreciated. An important step in this project took place in February 2019 when Patrick took an international group of Indigenous Elders to the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad India. The elders were honored guests at what now stands as the largest gathering of human beings in history with over 150 million individuals attending the event. A sacred Kiva was built to honor the presence of the Elders who met with world dignitaries and conducted ceremony with Indigenous Elders from 40 countries to the appreciation and participation of huge audiences.
Esteemed elders together with Patrick McCollum are working to unite the tribes to save the Amazon. Creating a sacred meeting place, a council house designed in accordance with their prophesies and traditions. A place where the elders come together to stand as equals, cultivate strong inter-tribal alliances and provide the infrastructure to develop a cohesive plan to protect the ancient wisdom repositories and defend the irreplaceable resources of the Amazon region holds for the entire planet. Giving the tribes a greater voice and authority over their own lands will promote greater stability in the region. Creating alliances between the tribes and the governments of the countries in which their lands lie further enhances the ability to sustain the rainforest.
“The Amazon has long been recognized as an important repository of biodiversity and natural resources. Not only for local peoples and indigenous communities but also for the rest of the world. Unfortunately, as forests continue to disappear and the effects of climate change become more of daily reality, we run the risk of losing this great natural treasure for future generations.” Amazon Aid Foundation
The Aluna Fund was initially established to bring the Mamos (Elders) of the Kogi Tribe of Columbia to the United States, to address the issues of climate change, pollution, planetary sustainability, and world peace. Their journey included an opening ritual and critical discussions with VIP leaders at the Peace Pentagon in Virginia, addressing the United Nations, various stops across the United States, and addressing the Global Action Climate Change Summit in San Francisco.
The Kogi are unique in that they are the only indigenous peoples who succeeded in resisting the Doctrine of Discovery and Colonization by retreating to their mountain stronghold 500 years ago and then caving in all of the trails to cut themselves off from the world. They have lived in harmony with one another and the land for half of the millennia, with no contact with the outside world. Patrick McCollum, his foundation and the Oracle Institute are honored to take this unprecedented action to restore indigenous people’s sacred land and to bring the Kogi’s wise and timely message to the world.
The World Peace Violin, blessed and sanctified by United Nations Messengers of Peace, Dr. Jane Goodall and Yo-Yo Ma, has been played at the United Nations, for the Nobel Peace Committee, and for world and spiritual leaders as well as countless millions worldwide.
In 2010, Patrick embarked upon a task by a small inner voice that told him he was to build a violin. Patrick, who was not a violinist, didn’t read music, and was not a professional woodworker, immediately thought he would go to the library and learn everything he could about how to create such an instrument. However, that still small voice said, “learn nothing and rely only on divine guidance.”
The violin is handcrafted from materials collected at sites around the world that have had or are currently experiencing significant conflict together with materials from many sacred and holy sites. The violin, just like the world, is a melting pot of materials brought together to create one sound, one voice. The World Peace Violin serves as a powerful metaphor for both the beauty and diversity of our planet and for the successful integration of its religions, cultures, and people. This sound is a voice for peace.
Patrick McCollum and The McCollum Foundation have partnered in the development of One Humanity Institute, located in Auschwitz-Oswiecim, Poland, encompassing the vision of building a “City of Hope,” a destination where long or short-term visitors can experience the stark realities of the past alongside opportunities and models of transformation for a culture of sustainable peace and the uniting of humanity. Visiting One Humanity Institute will be a great reminder of a promise “Never Again,” so fully experienced at the Auschwitz Museum, to seeing themselves as part of the solutions needed for fostering a better world for all. For more information click here.
Jane Goodall
H.E. Amb. Anwarul K.Chowdhury
