Juanita Metzger turned a Renison degree into walking tours of Waterloo Region

Juanita Metzger (BA ’96) arrived at Renison in 1993 and found her place in the Social Development Studies program, which let her study social issues and communities while staying close to home in Waterloo Region. Professors such as Tom Brenner and Peter Dunn taught her to look at the systems and policies behind people’s circumstances.

After graduating in 1996 she spent more than twenty years in community development, including work with House of Friendship and the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council. She learned to ask residents to take her for a walk, and the stories, introductions and local assets they shared became part of her practice.

In 2018 she left full-time employment, and freelance writing and local storytelling grew into Stroll Walking Tours. Its tours cover local history, food, women’s history and Black history in Waterloo Region. She says people often tell her they finally see themselves in the region’s history. Metzger calls Renison foundational and describes it as human scale.