Ruben Saldaña leads the fight against youth violence and crime

Each year, the Orlando Sentinel asks community members to help us identify the heroes making the biggest difference in local lives: those whose leadership, innovation and courage are an inspiration to others. And from these nominees, we will choose a group, those whose talents and dedication deserve recognition, to honor as Central Floridian of the Year finalists. Over the coming weeks, we’ll introduce you to these remarkable individuals – and at the end, we’ll introduce you to our picks for Central Florida of the Year.

At the New Image Youth Center on Parramore, Ruben Saldaña leads a dozen young people in a series of exercises that combine gymnastics with something that almost looks like dancing, but isn’t. Instead, they learn the forms and maneuvers of a mixed-martial art style known as “without doubt” that Saldaña hopes they will soon be able to participate in.

It’s something that Saldaña — head of Central Florida’s Credible Messenger program — could delegate to the mentors his organization has hired as part of one of the area’s most successful anti-violence youth initiatives. But it’s clear there’s no place Saldaña would rather be. As he encourages, critiques, and celebrates the children’s achievements, he seems almost gleeful with the joy he feels working with them, and the dreams he has for their future. Some of those dreams are already coming true: This weekend he took one of his players to an international match in Colombia – an opportunity that was an achievement in itself, even if Saldaña’s protégé lost his fight.

It’s a setback. But overcoming adversity is something Saldaña excels at. That resilience has taken him on a remarkable journey, even though he spent almost half his life on the wrong path; Elevated to royalty as a teenager in one of Florida’s most notorious street gangs, he ultimately served nearly two decades in prison after being convicted as a conspirator in the murders of two fellow gang members. The fact that Saldaña, who has just celebrated the tenth anniversary of his release, has been trusted to lead the Credible Messenger Program speaks volumes about his determination to prevent local youth from making the same mistakes he did – and explains why the Orlando Sentinel has selected him as a finalist for Central Florida of the Year.

Saldaña offers no excuses for his own dramatic derailment – ​​although he does see the irony in the fact that as a gang leader he spearheaded an effort to recruit and support young teenagers. “I deceived others, but I was deceived myself,” he says. Now he’s using that relationship for good, telling young people that he understands gang life better than they ever could – and that it’s a path they don’t want to take.

That’s the basis of the national Credible Messenger program, and Orange County deserves credit for being the first region in Florida to adopt it after a recommendation from Mayor Jerry Demings’ Citizens Safety Task Force. Saldaña’s ‘Gloves Up. Guns Down” training, is already active in five locations across the province – including the backyard of his own home, which is equipped with a fighting ring and other training equipment, as well as beautiful murals created by some of his participants.

The most negative reaction Saldaña hears comes from people who say, “Oh yeah, you’re teaching bad kids to fight,” he says. His answer: The martial arts discipline actually encourages its followers to seek nonviolent responses, rather than picking up weapons, something too many Central Florida youth have easy access to.

The Credible Messenger program is showing the same kind of success seen in other communities. Saldaña is rightly proud of the fact that – across the five locations in Orange County – none of his active participants were arrested and no one was seriously injured.

He is already working on expanding options for local participants. This summer he expects to launch a breakdance initiative led by renowned dancer “Mr. Wave,” a pioneer of the New York break scene, keeping in mind the reality that break dancing is now an Olympic sport.

There’s one more thing Saldaña would like to announce: he’s reviving his own fighting career and scheduling two fights in the coming months. “It’s not full contact,” he says. “I want to keep whatever brain I have.” But for the local teens who have learned to look up to him and the mentors he recruits, what they value most is Ruben Saldaña’s heart.

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