Some children develop teamwork and leadership skills on the court or pitch, for others it is at the community hall.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Every week groups of young girls meet for a couple of hours on Peisley Street to socialise, be active, be crafty and learn new skills.
Girl Guides have been doing so right across the state for 99 years.
Charlie Wright has been taking her daughter Lily Wright for five years and said children's attendance in Orange seems to fluctuate with the sports seasons, but the benefits make the old organisation worth preserving.
She said Lily had even sought adult advice from Girl Guide leaders, which was comforting to a busy mum.
There is a resurgence of interest in Girl Guides, as young people and their families look at ways to combat the pressures of busy and digital lives
- Helen White, Girl Guides CEO
"Lily can get things off her chest and can get more than one person's perspective," she said.
The Girl Guides are a mix of ages and schools, which means the girls get the chance to make friends outside their primary group.
With many of them about to transition to high school, the leaders have begun preparing them for what lies ahead.
Before Girl Guides Lily was too shy to march in the Anzac Day parade, but now she proudly puts on the Girl Guides' uniform, despite being invited to march with St Marys Public School each year.
Mrs Wright said community involvement was what prompted them to take Lily along for her first week, a core principle of what the organisation is about.
Girl Guides CEO Helen White says the grassroots approach is what the organisation has always excelled at.
"We work at the local level, in communities and across regions supporting and empowering the women of tomorrow," she said.
Nationally, the tried and tested methodology of providing busy parents with a way to encourage their daughters to be involved in their communities appears to be working.
"There is a resurgence of interest in Girl Guides, as young people and their families look at ways to combat the pressures of busy and digital lives," Ms White said.
While numbers remain steady in Orange, Mrs Wright is among those grateful her daughter doesn't have to be sporty to attend an after school activity which gives her "a skip in her step when she comes home".
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...