This material provides a program to instruct secondary level students in the political, governmental, and legal process and to encourage active student participation in these processes. Part of a year-long curriculum program, this unit examines the structure and function of the state, county, and local levels. Included are policy formation, lobbying, media techniques, sociological surveying, and value orientation. Intertwined with these issues are the environment, housing, and transportation. In addition, students learn the operation of intergovernmental communication and are provided with a practical knowledge of labor-management relations. Simulation is used to reveal the decision-making process of governmental bodies. The first section of the document introduces the curriculum approach, the value orientation, and the community as a classroom. How to collect data for community research is the focus of the second section, including the influence of this research on governmental decisions and public policy. Section three examines how expectations of the people can be implemented in the government. An introduction to the legislative process precedes a section on a model congress. The final three sections include a community environment project for students and two curriculum guides on county and local government. Several appendices conclude the document, along with a list of resources -- human and organizational, publication, audio-visual materials, and simulations. (Author/JR)