10:06am Wednesday 19th August 2009 CHILDREN previously divided by a fierce rivalry between two estates have united to tackle gun and knife crime.
Violence has often erupted between teenagers on Cathall and Avenue estates in Leytonstone. But now a new youth project has seen children from both estates come together to produce posters and a short film challenging violent street culture. The project, run by charity Catch 22, was set up in the wake of the murder of 14-year-old Paul Erhahon in Cathall in 2007 and is aimed at helping young people seen as being in danger of getting caught up in gang culture. Three teenagers from each estate were brought together and each group initially did not know where the other lived in an attempt to tackle preconceptions.
The posters were produced after the truth was revealed and included images such as a masked youth and a body outline altered to look like a hopscotch game.