This article presents evidence designed to expand scholarly knowledge of how high school co-curricular activities generate the positive effects previous scholarship has found. Studies of empowerment across various fields identify a sense of autonomy, self-belief, self-expression, the ability to work together with diverse others, and a critical social consciousness as key factors that can enable people to achieve things. The evidence presented here from four state student council association workshops suggests that co-curricular activities may create the conditions in which students can learn a sense of autonomy, self-belief, self-expression, and, to a limited extent, the ability to work with diverse others. Therefore, the causal mechanism that this study recommends future Large-"N" studies test is that co-curricular activities cause students to gain these traits, which then translates into the gains in civic behaviors and other positive outcomes. (Contains 9 notes and 1 table.)