I’ve never met Ai-jen Poo, but I’ve fangirled her from afar.

And at our 2026 Community Retreat (a convening for social entrepreneurs and workforce partners from around the country), I channeled her framing of the world as a way to orient us towards a common north star. She calls these worlds Earth 1, Earth 2, and Earth 3.

Earth 1 broadly represents our country as it has been – the systems, institutions, and norms of this broad democratic experiment we call the United States of America.

Earth 2 broadly represents the present reality, where the polarization in our country feels like a faultline that can’t be repaired, and where the fear to take even one small step can be paralyzing.

Earth 3 is the world we can build together, the one that recognizes the fractures in the world, and inserts new growth within and despite them. Earth 3 is where we can link arms and mobilize an economy that works. For everyone.

With the changemakers at our retreat, we spent 2.5 days planning for how to keep building Earth 3: from policy to unlock at-scale capital for the field to practices that drive economic power for those on the sidelines of the economy.

On night one, we also asked guests to physically step into the shoes of someone navigating barriers to employment while working to build economic power.

We dove into AI advancements and discussed the ways it can catalyze or cannibalize the workforce, with tips on how to balance between the two. (Read our white paper on AI and frontline workers here!)

And we concluded the week by tapping into the Alliance part of our name: strengthening the coalitions we’re building together.

Unsurprisingly given our beautiful host city of Chicago — the City of Broad Shoulders — we walked away knowing we stand on the shoulders of giants. Building on the progress of past leaders is what we are called to do, if we want to open new doors for the millions on the sidelines of our economy.

And when we lock arms and move forward, together, we can follow those leaders to pave a new way.

Earth 3 can’t wait. Let’s build it together. You in?