Resources for Teachers and Students on R.E. "Ted" Turner

Prepare: In 1970 R.E. Turner founded the Turner Broadcast System, which is now a Time-Warner Company. A noted philanthropist, he founded the Goodwill Games, and pledged to donate $1 billon to the United Nations Foundation. His biography can be found on a promotional website.

Read: R.E. Turner wrote an original essay for the Architects of Peace project. In it, he discusses the importance of international cooperation and communication, especially as it relates to environmental concerns.

Explore: The United Nations Foundation, via a program of grantmaking and advocacy, exists to support the work of the United Nations by promoting a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. For example, the foundation funded the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a five-year project to assess the link between ecosystem health and human well-being. The foundation maintains a website with information on its activities on behalf of children's health; the environment; peace, security and human rights; women and population; and other initiatives.

Write: In his Architects of Peace essay, R.E. Turner claims that the United Nations is in the best position to solve the problems of humanity. Is this true? Is the United Nations living up to the promise of establishing world peace? In what ways does the organization merit the faith Turner places in it, and in what ways does it fall short? After surveying recent editorials on the efficacy of the United Nations, compose your own 1000-word op-ed article on how well the United Nations fulfills its mission.

Extend: One of the philanthropies founded by R.E. Turner, the Better World Fund, implements a program called Adopt-A-Minefield, which raises funds for mine clearance and survivor assistance, as well as raises public awareness about the landmine problem worldwide. The campaign, which has been joined by luminaries from Paul McCartney to Walter Cronkite, provides the opportunity for local campaigns to raise funds to clear mines.

Additional Resource: Ted Turner Documentaries, a non-profit affiliate of The Turner Foundation, recently produced a documentary for the Public Broadcast Service called "Avoiding Armageddon." The eight-hour series, which focuses on the modern threat of terrorism, has its own educational website through PBS.

Biography of R.E. "Ted" Turner