It’s been six months now since I walked through the door to work at MCFB as a volunteer, though it seems like only yesterday.

Coming from a multicultural background myself, being of mixed Scottish-Mauritian heritage, it seemed like I glided through the door, eased my way among a compelling tapestry of human beings, cultures and diverse voices and swiftly took on reception and administrative duties.  I was irresistibly drawn to the colourful rooms, the rejuvenating presence of children, toys, books, music and plants, as well as to the joyful and friendly interactions in the office.  As such, in parallel with the seriousness and the importance of the work carried out there, at times, one could also capture, the somewhat elusive, enjoyable potential lightness of being alive and together.

I left my native country (Mauritius) to settle in Scotland more than a decade ago. I know how challenging and destabilizing it can be to be new in a totally foreign country. I was once in the same shoes as some of the service users, baffled by the novelty of the environment as I transitioned from one stage to another, first of all squeezing myself onto (quite a small!) sofa (not even a sofa bed!) at somebody’s flat, then switching to a properly owned futon, later to a mattress on the floor in a rented flat and finally to my own proudly bought bed and mattress. Those personal experiences brought an added dimension to my work at MCFB in my dealings with some of the service users who were new to Scotland. Concurrently, I could also measure the value of the support and help provided by the MCFB to the newcomers and play my part.

MCFB takes care of families and children dealing with important transition points (birth of a child, move to primary school, new migrants to Scotland, etc.). Society starts at home in the family, this is where we learn to interact with different individuals and this teaches us so much: love, tolerance, resolving conflicts, acceptance of differences, how to live in a community, respecting boundaries, learning from one and other, etc. Families can also face enormous challenges and difficulties, and this is where we have the MCFB intervening as early as possible in a therapeutic way and providing tailored support.

Here, at 50 Coburg street, in the little greyish building at the crossroads, far from the sometimes harsh, grinding corporate machinery, an incredible humane venture has been unfolding for more than two decades now - daring to wish and give a human face to an organisational structure. Behind the discreet windows, and the comings and goings of service users, staff, students, visitors; uplifting human exchanges can be witnessed daily. Skilled and experienced people in a position to offer help and support (at this very point in time of their lives) to their fellow human beings in need, are living up to their calling. Each time, one-time irrevocable human to human encounters - which cannot be relived or repeated.

Entering through the doors to MCFB has meant crossing another threshold of my life, and before we part ways, I wish to thank each and every one of you (staff, students, board members, service users, visitors, callers, the mailman and all the others who I cannot all name) for having made this time, where we worked side by side, memorable. I have grown beyond expectations, and now move onto another chapter, uplifted by what I have seen here. The congruence embodied in the values inhabiting staff and students in the way they interact among themselves and towards service users, gives me hope for a future of a more inclusive, caring society, and at large, a more inclusive and caring Scotland and world. A lesson learnt to carry forward:  yes, we can go beyond cultures and backgrounds, yes, we can meet simply as human beings, join forces, acknowledging, valuing our differences and work together for a better world.  Long live the MCFB! Long live the vision!

Mylene Honore-L'Hortalle.

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Mylene was a volunteer administrator and receptionist at MCFB from August 2019 till January 2020.