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