Party: Socialdemokratiet
Candidate for: Local council, Struer Kommune (kommunalvalget)
Natalia’s story
Originally from Moldova, Natalia considers herself thoroughly Danish. She relocated 15 years ago with her mother to Lemvig in Midtjylland. Natalia notes: “We saw an opportunity to come to Denmark — and we just packed our bags and went!” Her mother had met a wonderful Danish man that Natalia considers far more than a step-father (“He’s the father I always wanted and needed,” she says), who helped them overcome problems with Natalia’s biological father in Moldova.
At 29, she’s now lived in Denmark for one year longer than her birth country. “I’m Danish, if you ask me,” Natalia says and we share a chuckle thinking about how nice it is to have a Danish border control agent wish you ‘Velkommen hjem.’ “It’s almost like you want to kiss the ground when returning because home is just the best,” says Natalia.
She’s lived in Stuer for five years and has helped newcomers and refugees navigate daily life in Denmark during that time. “I know what it’s like to be unheard,” Natalia says. It’s clear that she uses her own life experiences to relate to native-born Danes and internationals who call Denmark home.
Trained as a chef, a back injury meant Natalia could no longer hold roles as a kitchen manager, sous chef and head chef. She shifted her energies towards caring for vulnerable children and youth and is currently employed at a 24-hour facility for children and young people, alongside studying food technology. When I asked Natalia about the opportunities food technology offers, she explained: “There’s a wide spectrum. It could be with different organizations like Arla, doing food testing and monitoring sanitary requirements or creating new products. Or as someone who drives around checking that kitchens are up to standard.” Being in food technology comes back to Natalia’s inherent desire to help people — to make things better and safer.
Entering politics
Natalia has always fought for righteousness and wanted to help people. She explains: “Since I was a little child, I’ve been fighting for what is right. If someone got bullied in school, I was the one stopping that. It was in my nature.” This carries through to her desire to ensure everyone in Struer is treated with dignity, care, and respect.
Being born outside of Denmark, Natalia sees the unique importance of politics to Danish residents who may be considered ‘foreigners.’ “When you’re a foreigner, it can be very important who gets to sit in the Folketing,” Natalia explains. “It can be dire if one person decides they want to send everyone away. It’s always been in my interest if the process for getting Danish citizenship gets more complicated or there are changes in policy.”
She became involved with the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet) as “it’s always been the party that’s supported the working class,” says Natalia. When the Social Democrats’ mayoral candidate for Struer, Lars Møller Pedersen, asked if she’d be interested in being a candidate, Natalia brushed him off. “I said, ‘I really want to, but I’m a foreigner, so I don’t think I can.’ He asked, ‘Have you been here longer than five years?’ and when the answer was yes, Lars said, ‘You can, then, no problem!” Natalia relates that she was quick to respond, “Okay, then sign me up!”
The camaraderie between Natalia and Lars is obvious. “We work very well together,” Natalia notes as she explains that she’s also his campaign manager. “We talk every day and I’m there every time he has a debate. So Lars is a friend, also.”
Photo credit: Mikkel Peitersen
Natalia’s campaign
After expressing “almost a dislike for very polished politics,” Natalia indicates that her campaign is “about being a human and telling my story.”
“It’s not even a strategy,” she continues, “It’s just the way I want to be. I don’t want to be fake or make promises that I cannot keep.” Her straight-forward, easy going nature shines through as we’re talking. Natalia comes across as approachable and eager to connect with people.
She encourages these connections by getting out into the community and talking to people in Struer about what they want and need. A few of those interactions end up on her social media channels. “I get a lot of feedback from that,” says Natalia. She relates how people she meets are “always surprised by how young I am. It’s almost like people are surprised that I’ve had so much experience in different fields at only 29. And that someone so young is so involved in politics and wanting to make a change.”
Natalia notes that many people also “like that there are more women candidates.” They’re also impressed with her Danish fluency and sometimes say: “I didn’t know you were a foreigner.”
With her current work, Natalia feels deeply tied to the community, and intrinsically linked with working people who support others. “A focus of my campaign is workers in industries that are helping people. Teachers, people who work with the elderly or children. They need to be taken care of because if they’re having an awful time working there, eldercare or children’s care will never get better.”
“Some politicians talk about how we need to make life better for the elderly. To have better schools and daycares. And that’s true. But you can’t do that without thinking about every worker in those industries.” Natalia continues. Promising to improve conditions “without acknowledging how much work teachers and people behind the scenes put in is only part of the picture,” says Natalia. “I’m a little bit tired of politicians just saying that we need to have better care for elderly people or children, without focusing on stress factors or conditions for caregivers or teachers.”
Final thoughts
While Natalia agrees that it’s important to vote and be involved, she underlines the importance of considering all the workers who support the Danish system. “It’s like a cycle. You cannot help one group without helping the other.” She’s passionate about helping people who are sometimes forgotten, giving a voice to those who are not always heard.
Towards the end of our conversation, Natalia reassures me that she’ll be able to balance servicing on Struer’s local council and completing her food technology studies — and I believe her. In addition to being easy to talk with and approachable, I sense Natalia’s commitment to making others’ lives better. And underneath all of her relatability, there’s a drive and determination that will undoubtedly fuel Natalie’s success building bridges in her community.
Follow Natalia’s campaign on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nataliacernavin) or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nataliacernavin).
