On Monday, students in our Discover Taipei course embarked on their first field trip of the semester! Ms. Hsieh took students to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to visit the new permanent exhibition, Flowers of Freedom. Using the metaphor "Freedom like a flower," the exhibit traces the journey of democracy in Taiwan and around the world since 1945.

Taiwan's path to a democratic society was not easy. Having endured decades of brutal, authoritarian rule and the shadows of the White Terror, many were once restricted to a single, state-manufactured narrative. As the process of democratization gain traction, we are realizing that the history we thought we knew was only a piece of a much larger puzzle.

At VIS, we encourages students to step into public spaces and view history through both a local lens and a global perspective, especially through our Guided Tour in different historical sites. This aligns with UN SDG16 ― Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, allowing students to reflect on the value of democratic systems.

VIS believes that facing history is about cultivating mature, objective, and critical thinking ability. Looking back at our students building empathy and social awareness, they are ready to become aspiring global citizens.

週一，Discover Taipei 課程迎來本學期第一次戶外教學。Ms. Hsieh 帶領學生參訪中正紀念堂去年底新設的常設展《自由花蕊》。展覽以「自由如花」為隱喻，回顧自 1945 年以來，臺灣與世界各地人民追求民主與自由的歷程。

臺灣曾走過數十年的威權統治。在白色恐怖的陰影下，許多人被迫接受單一版本的歷史敘事，本土文化與音樂亦曾遭受壓抑。隨著史料逐步公開與社會對話深化，越來越多人開始意識到：原來我們以為熟悉的歷史，其實並不完整。

藉著「歷史走讀」課程，帶領學生走訪博物館與歷史建築，鼓勵他們從本土史觀出發，同時連結國際脈動。此次參訪亦呼應聯合國永續發展目標（SDGs）第 16 項「和平、正義與健全司法」，讓學生在理解國家發展歷程的同時，思考民主制度的價值與意義。