This manual is intended to help citizen groups set up their own on-the-job training activities, tailored to their own individual needs, issues, learning styles, and experiences. Specifically, it discusses ways citizens or citizen groups can use the governmental processes to solve social problems and how they can develop clout to hold governmental officials accountable. Section 1 discusses methods to use in defining issues and in developing a theory of the political process. Section 2 discusses ways in which citizens can use traditional and nontraditional strategies to make issues more likely to win. The strategies, each of which is a chapter, include holding agencies accountable, researching elected officials, helping candidates run for office, lobbying, developing initiative and referendum campaigns, and promoting voter registration drives. The exercises in each chapter, which can be duplicated, include success models, a planning guide and/or role plays for practical and immediate use. A list of resources for further study is included at the end. (Author/LD)