KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Thursday night, four of Knoxville's youth received their certificate of completion for the Renounce Denounce gang intervention program.
"We're the little angel that sits on their shoulder and helps them think, 'Hey, if you do this, what are the consequences of it'," said Rashaad Woods the director of the group.
Woods said his own past is what helps him connect to the kids he serves.
"I know how to influence people to do wrong. I did it for a long time. So now I'm using the same influence and the same tactics to influence people to do the right thing," said Woods.
One of the group's four graduates said the program helped them to set new goals.
"I want to go to college and I want to be an FBI (agent) when I grow up," said Dereon Johnson, 8th grader at South-Doyle Middle School.
While the first graduating class might've been small. Woods said he expects the program to continue to grow.
"Other young people are looking at the young people that we work with. So once they see the progression in their lives, they're going to want to be a part of that the same way that they want to be a part of those gangs," said Woods.