Not a stranger to youthful mischief himself, Martin Cervantes understands the kids he is helping through his innovative lowrider bike program.
Cervantes, who was known to get into trouble as a kid, mentored at-risk youth for 17 years as an employee for Kansas City Public Schools before starting his Lowriding 2 Success nonprofit. His hands-on program steers kids away from trouble by giving them much-coveted bike parts for good behavior.
For Cervantes, lowrider bikes and cars were an important form of expression and part of his culture, just as they are for the youth he works with.
“It’s art being built,” Cervantes says. “I believe the youth like that—how you can create something so nice and colorful.”
Cervantes says the program grew almost out of necessity. “It just started because of seeing the need in the community—not having enough programs to work with at-risk youth,” he says.
Teens who are struggling are referred to Cervantes’ after-school program, which is funded through a grant from the Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board.
When students first enroll, they receive a basic bike kit. Through good behavior, such as school attendance and improved grades, they can earn custom parts to make their bikes unique. A student could leave the program with a bike worth thousands of dollars, Cervantes says.
Students meet weekly with adult volunteers to work on their bikes. But they are building much more than just a bike; they’re building a new life. As they construct their bikes over time, they also interact with weekly guest speakers and other professionals and mentors who expose them to new ways of thinking. Students also have volunteer opportunities, such as reading to younger children or fixing up used bikes to give to kids who don’t have one.
Cervantes is very hands-on. “They are required to make their bed every morning,” Cervantes says. “Every text and every message that I send to them, I always remind them—make your bed, make your bed—because you start your day with a positive, you know, you accomplish something early in the morning.”
However, modeling the positive outlook he hopes to see in his students is far from a one-man task. Cervantes, his wife and a small army of volunteers work together to make it possible.
“We are the example to follow,” Cervantes says. “We don’t bring just anybody in, you know, but people who are invested in our community, people that are able to bring something positive to our program to model what we want [the kids] to be.”
