A History of Social Service in Kitchener

How did early towns and cities respond to the needs of their most vulnerable citizens? Learn about Kitchener and Berlin’s early social service efforts.

Social Services Walk_tour landing

Explore a social service history on a walking tour in downtown Kitchener. Cities past and present have citizens in need of social support: the poor, children and youth, orphans, the sick, elderly and more. Learn about many of their experiences and where they were helped at various times in Berlin/Kitchener history.

Hear stories of those who provided help or were served by Berlin citizens and institutions: from an ex-slave, a librarian, a prolific doctor, a wealthy family, to a matron who died of a broken heart!

Led by: Todd Bowman

Accessibility: Route follows paved surfaces on main city streets and alleyways. Accessible for scooters & wheelchairs.

Social Service History Walking Tour Details

Of course, we have the obligatory Liability Waiver and Release form that must be signed by each person in advance of joining the walk.  Why a waiver for a walking tour, you ask? Couldn’t get insurance without it. Stroll pays insurance… you sign the waiver. 

A sense of curiosity, a few questions and a willingness to learn something you didn’t know before.

Of course, dress for the weather; bring a hat, water bottle, umbrella, solid walking shoes (no flip flops!) and anything else you need to be comfortable on the walk. 

We walk rain or shine or snow! 

However, we do heed storm watches and warnings and would never put you in danger. Stroll may cancel and reschedule a walk due to an issued weather advisory. 

We don’t make scheduled bathroom breaks along the walking route. Please attend to personal needs before or after the walking tour. 

Twice a year Stroll hosts a series of public walking tours in the spring and fall. Make sure you are on the Stroll newsletter list so you know when they are available! 

Absolutely! The walking tour guides have chosen routes with the best possible accessibility in order to accommodate as many people as possible. However, construction happens and we do our best to re-route safely.

If you have any questions about the accessibility of a specific walk, please contact us in advance of booking. 

We’ll say it again… Always arrive 10-15 minutes ahead of time! If you arrive exactly at departure time, you’re already late! If you arrive really late, your walking tour will likely be shorter than you planned for. 

Public Tours: We start on time so you might miss the introduction. If you’re really late, you might miss the tour if we’ve already moved on. 

We know you’re a curious bunch so we’ve been preparing blog posts with additional resources from many of the walking tours. Happy reading!

PS

OUR FALL STROLLS ARE HERE! BOOK NOW

X