Have you ever felt as if your world were caving in, and you had nowhere to turn because for as long as you can remember you have always been teased or labelled due to your appearance or your personality?

Most teens would answer 'Yes' to this question.

Ms Lisa Dixon-Wells, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada has been helping teens for ten years change that 'Yes' to a 'No'.

Ms Dixon-Wells is the founder of Dare to Care, a programme that is designed to bring to the attention of students the fact that bullying is alive and well in all schools.

It can wear many faces, and it can be disguised under an assortment of masks. Ms Dixon-Wells runs the programme alongside Mr. Dwayne William Peace, who is from Langdon, Canada.

Both Ms Dixon-Wells and Mr. Peace were recently at Mount Saint Agnes Academy where they were given the opportunity to allow students to re-evaluate themselves and start over in their relationships with others.

It was a long, intense, life-changing week for many MSA students from kindergarten to grade 12.

The students were gathered together by grades, and during their sessions together worked together in groups with people they generally would not interact with on a daily basis.

The first eye-opener of the day was the film that was shown to high school students in which two students who were real-life bullies were followed by a cameraman all day long as they experienced the pain of bullying at a guest high school.

Following the film there were various group activities including the making of a poster that portrayed MSA as a school where bullying was nonexistent.

There were also physical games that allowed the students to think about questions that would ultimately reveal if they were ever bullied or were bullies themselves.

The most emotional part of the day was when the students and teachers were given the chance to apologise to anyone with whom they had had conflict.

One student commented that he felt more "hopeful". Another student added: "I felt relieved to know I could finally tell the girl I once called my best friend that I was sorry."

Many surprising confessions and apologies and, hopefully, healed feelings characterised this session.

Additionally, because of this experience, many students expressed a desire to continue the good work accomplished during the course of the week.

Consequently, this led to a group of students and teachers forming a team that intends to work together to continue the valuable lessons and insights imparted by Dare to Care.

Ms Dixon-Wells left a lasting message regarding change: "Any change is hard. The first step is knowing you need to change. Change is possible, but it needs work."

A formula which might help young people become more aware and more empathetic to others, according to Ms Dixon-Wells, is to "look through the eyes of love".

This tells students not to judge others before getting to know them, to look at others as equals who open their hearts and minds to them.

Mr. Peace recommended: "Stop playing the game. Be 100 percent with yourself. You don't have to have compassion for someone just because of their story."

In other words, treat others the way you want to be treated. Let compassion be a daily component in your life.

You shouldn't have to fake a caring attitude. Your gestures and words need to be positive and sincere. Self-respect is where you need to begin.

After a week of Dare to Care activities, Mount Saint Agnes students seemed more unified and more comfortable in the expression of their feelings and attitudes towards each other.

The most important thing now is continuing what Ms Dixon-Wells and Mr. Peace brought to the lives of the student body.

There will be work to be done on a daily basis, but it will be worth the time and effort. Why? Because they do care.