Elders Share the Arts (ESTA) links generations and cultures through year-long Living History Programs that transform life experiences into dance, theater, writing, visual arts and storytelling. ESTA's programs facilitate relationships among community members, bringing together neighbors of all ages and ethnicities to build community, address community issues and celebrate common ground. In the Living History Program, youth and elders come together throughout the year in 30 weekly workshops at 20 New York neighborhood community centers, schools, libraries and other sites. Youth interview seniors and develop oral histories of their lives. At the end of each yearÌs workshops, youth and elders stage dramatic literary and visual presentations based on those oral histories at a city-wide Living History Festival. Through the Living History Program and another ESTA activity, the Conflict Mediation Program, elders and youth form relationships that are maintained beyond the Program. As a vendor agency for the New York City Board of Education, ESTA helps youth participating in these Programs to improve their school attendance, increase attentiveness and gain arts and communication skills. Moreover, youthÌs involvement with elders stimulates their curiosity and interest in learning, making historical events from the pages of a textbook more vibrant and real.