Natalie Rothwell-Warn
Natalie is standing for election because she enjoys talking to local people of all ages who have ideas or concerns about matters affecting them, and would like to help represent them on the council.
“I would like to get to the root issues of what impacts residents’ well-being and to raise awareness of this in the wider community,” she says. “I would like to understand how they would like these issues to change.”
She believes her good communication and organisational skills, patience and empathy are all valuable attributes for a councillor.
Natalie moved to Stroud in 2018 and loves the area for its proactive community of people all ages who are keen to drive change.
Her aspiration for a better world is that the needs of people should always come first and that democracy should be entrenched in all aspects of society.
Natalie is an education researcher and former teacher who has almost completed a doctorate in Education. She already has a Bachelor of Education degree and a Masters of Science degree in Sustainable Development in Practice.
As part of her education studies, she spent a lot of time engaging with children, young people and adults, whether at parents’ evenings, working with children and young people or carrying out research with participants.
She would like to see children and young people being better represented and included in decisions on matters that directly impact on them, such as school. “Under Article 12 of the UNCRC, which the UK ratified in 1991, every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously,” she says. “I would like to see this become reality in everyday life.”
Natalie joined the Green Party because it was the only party that reflected her personal values. “I am disappointed with what politics has become but instead of complaining about it, I would like to try and change it,” she says. “Times are hard and many voters feel disempowered. I feel politics in this country has lost its moral compass and has forgotten what its role is: to represent the people fairly and transparently without manipulating them.
“I aim to treat people how I would like to be treated and if this was the rule of politics, the world would be a very different place.”
Natalie works part-time as a gardener and loves the outdoors in general, as well as home renovation, dancing and music. She is learning to play the cello and is involved with the Stroud-based Radical Youth Space for Education (RYSE).