Learning about local government seems boring and irrelevant to most young people, particularly to students from high-poverty backgrounds. The authors explore a promising approach for solving this problem, Storypath, which engages students in authentic learning and active citizenship. The Storypath approach is based on a narrative in which students create the setting, become the characters, and then solve the problems presented through the story's plot. The authors describe how a group of students created a small town faced with a proposed shopping mall. Students, in their roles as townspeople--business owners, employees, and elected and appointed officials (mayor, city council members, and planning commission members)--participated in determining what was best for their town. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)