Underserved youth growing up in urban environments are exposed to poverty, violence, teen pregnancy, gang activity, and drug abuse. The negative impact of these conditions on the physical and mental health of urban, minority populations is a major public health concern. While physical activity programs have the capacity to promote healthy development, programs in urban environments often fail to engage students. The Personal and Social Responsibility Model (PSRM) uses physical activity as a vehicle to teach life skills and promote positive youth development among underserved youth. Program evaluations and research studies support the effectiveness of the PSRM in urban settings. Most of these studies have focused on programs using familiar sports such as basketball. The purpose of this study was to examine the application of the PSRM in a Taijiquan program for urban high school students. Taijiquan is a holistic, non-competitive physical activity that might offer unique benefits and align well with the goals of the PSRM. Participants were 23 African American high school students who secured parental consent. These students attend a public school in an impoverished area of a mid-sized city. A qualitative case study design was used to explore the relevance and impact of this program. Data sources included non-participant observations; individual and group interviews with participants; interviews with the regular physical education teacher and principal; participant reflective writing and anonymous program evaluations; and the program leader's lesson plans and journal. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis and constant comparison. Trustworthiness was established through (a) interpretive member checks with the principal, physical education teacher, and selected students; (b) peer debriefing with the intervention team; and (c) triangulation of multiple data sources. The following themes were extracted from the data: navigating cultural differences, varied responses to Taijiquan content, increased responsibility in the program, and making connections to real life. In this program, the intervention team, the physical activity content, and the instructional style were culturally foreign to program participants at the beginning. However, these potential obstacles were navigated to reach the ultimate goals of the program. In the end, participant reactions to Taijiquan were varied but primarily positive. As in other studies on the PSRM, participants became more responsible for their behavior and saw the relevance of the life skills promoted in the model. This study demonstrates that the PSRM can be effectively implemented using non-competitive, wellness oriented physical activity such as Taijiquan, even in challenging urban environments.Keyword(s): high school issues, research, youth-at-risk