Fears that stop you from dreaming

Each year, Across U-hub hosts a Youth Leadership Training Camp in August to help youth to recognize their potentials and dreams. This year, the focus is on identifying some of the fears that hinder us from pursuing our goals. Some of these fears may be fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, fear of being lonely, fear of what others may think or fear of stepping of one’s comfort zone.

There is a songwriting workshop in the camp where all the youth are to compose a song together, where through musical expression, they can explore the introspective barriers they have in their daily life. They will also be asked four different questions:

1. What do you do when you’re afraid?
2. Why do you do that or go there?
3. What is difficult for you to do or confess?
4. What are you most afraid of?

In the lyrics written by the youth, there is a sense of hopelessness or anxiety, as there are many things they want to express, be it fear, love, dreams, stress. They wish to escape to a safe place where they can be free of judgments and pain. At the end of the day, we can see the hope that they look, through a platform for them to express their emotions, to be heard, and a community to journey through together.

Lyrics by Across Atypical Camp 2014 Campers and Jaisy Tam
Composed by Jaisy Tam

I wanna run away and cry
Cause it’s easier to hide
from me
I wanna show my love out loud
Just trying hard to figure out
Right now

Pre-Chorus
If I could go and start all over
If I could do it all again

Chorus
I wish I could follow
My heart and just let go
With nothing holding me
With nothing stopping me
If only I’d reach for
The dreams that I’ve longed for
With nothing holding me
With nothing stopping me

I wanna cry and let it out
For the time when we are down
Alone
Can’t find the words that read my mind
Afraid of what you just might find
In my heart

I wanna hide or run away
Cause of the pressure that I face
Alone…
I gotta try to let it go
To strive for dreams and all my goals
There’s hope!

I wanna run away to find
A place that’s safe where I’ll be fine
And okay
Can’t seem to be the real me
Afraid to hurt and disappoint
again

I wanna cry, escape and hide
Can’t stand to fail or take the pain
Inside me
Can’t find a way to let it out
Afraid of what you’ll think of me
Who am I

I wanna break the chains off me
Sometime I find it hard to scream
Out loud
Can’t cry Can’t see, Can’t hardly breath
Afraid to speak and seem so weak
To me