Welcome to Formosa Dream Chasers — a show where we celebrate the journeys of people turning their dreams into reality. But it is important to remember that none of that would be possible without a society where ideas can be freely shared and truth can be told. 

This is the last part of our conversation with Michael Michael Huang, co-founder of the Li-ze Community School.

In his reflections on founding the Li-ze Community School in Yilan, Michael Huang sheds light on the multifaceted challenges he and his team encountered.

Michael Huang, co-founder of the Li-ze Community School, joins us this week to share his journey in developing community-based educational programs in Yilan County.

In the final part of our chat with Ivan and David Perez, things take an unexpected — and heartwarming — turn. Not only do they open up about their future plans, but they flip the script and start asking Ching-en and Mary Anne the questions!

This week, we continue our conversation with brothers Ivan and David Perez, who share how cooking became a guiding force through life’s toughest moments — transforming pain into purpose through food and connection.

When life serves up hardship, some crumble — but others create. In this heartfelt episode, we meet Ivan and David Perez, brothers who survived life’s toughest moments through their passion for cooking. Through the comforting rhythm of preparing well-loved Mexican dishes, they discovered not just healing, but also a renewed sense of connection -  to themselves, to each other, and to the world around them.

In the final part of our conversation, Taiwanese journalist Jonah Kuh discusses the evolving role of foreign media in Taiwan, the unique position of local reporters, and shares thoughtful advice for aspiring journalists.

This week, we continue our conversation with Taiwanese video journalist Jonah Khu to delve deeper into Taiwan's media landscape and the Taiwan Media Workers' Alliance, which he co-founded.

This week, we’re joined by Jonah Khu, a Taiwanese freelance journalist and news producer, who stumbled into the world of journalism right after graduation. Join us as Jonah shares the story of how his career took off unexpectedly and offers his insights into the media landscape in Taiwan.

In the previous episode, we were joined by Benjamin Sabbah, Director of the Journalism Trust Initiative at Reporters Without Borders. He talked about how the organization is working to build public trust in the news and the initiative they’ve launched to certify the trustworthiness of media outlets worldwide.

Trust in the reliability of media is more critical than ever, as misinformation continues to spread rapidly. In an age where audiences are constantly bombarded with conflicting information, ensuring journalistic integrity has become a global priority.

We continue our conversation with Alex Khomenko, a Ukrainian currently living in Taiwan. In previous episodes, Alex shared how he began advocating for peace in Ukraine shortly after moving to Taiwan, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Alex is one of the founding members of the advocacy group Taiwan Stands With Ukraine, which regularly organizes cultural events and protests to garner support for Ukraine here in Taiwan.

Previously, Ukrainian activist Alex Khomenko from Taiwan Stands With Ukraine stated that the Russo-Ukrainian War isn’t—and shouldn’t be—seen as an ethnic conflict. Today, he breaks down why that’s the case. He also shares more about Taiwan Stands With Ukraine and what the group is doing to support Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty.

In previous episodes, we met Taiwanese-Ukrainian couple Lin Yue (林月) and Olga Kulish, who opened their restaurant, Hata, as an unexpected consequence of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Wanting to better understand the roots of this conflict, Mary Anne and Ching-en invited Alex Khomenko, a representative of Taiwan Stands With Ukraine (TSWU), to share his perspective.

From building a business in Ukraine to starting over in Taiwan, Lin Yue’s (林月) journey is one of resilience, adaptation, and cultural connection.

Mary Anne and Ching-en visited Hata, a Ukrainian restaurant in Kaohsiung, where they spoke with one of the owners, Olga Kulish.

As Mary Anne and Ching-en wrap up their interview with Indonesian-Taiwanese filmmaker Martin Rustandi, they turn their focus to Taiwan’s migrant workers and new immigrants.

Indonesian-Taiwanese filmmaker Martin Rustandi takes us behind the scenes of his latest mini-documentary series, Not Far From Home, which delves into the lives of Indonesian immigrants in Taiwan. He reveals the intense process of narrowing down the stories of 150 applicants, each eager to share their migrant journey, and how he chose the voices that were the most representative and would make the most impact on the viewers.

How does one find a sense of belonging in a new country? How do Indonesian immigrants maintain their cultural identity and thrive in Taiwan? These are the questions we explore with our guest, Indonesian-Taiwanese filmmaker Martin Rustandi (陳文良).