Nyamuon “Moon” Nguany Machar describes her work as “sowing seeds.”

Machar, 34, of Portland heads #WEOUTSIDE, a program that gives asylum-seeking kids an opportunity to explore the great outdoors.

“The outdoors, being barefoot outside and really connecting with nature, goes hand in hand with our mental health,” Machar said. “It goes hand in hand with who we are.”

A collaboration between the Maine Association for New Americans – where Machar serves as community wellness program coordinator – and the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust, #WEOUTSIDE fosters belonging among Maine’s immigrant communities.

Machar, who is of South Sudanese and Ethiopian descent, moved to Maine with her family when she was 5 years old.

In addition to her day job, she is a spoken-word poet, an advocate for disability rights and is working on her second documentary, a film about Sanford’s immigrant community.

Nyamuon “Moon” Nguany Machar is is a spoken-word poet, an advocate for disability rights and a documentary filmmaker. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Her work with #WEOUTSIDE makes the outdoors more accessible. But more than anything, it’s about letting kids be kids.

“We’re able to take them into these spaces, and we’re not talking about the larger political (conversations),” Machar said. “We’re just ice fishing; we’re skiing, and we’re falling.”

The program has helped Machar find her own space in the wilderness.

Her close friend, Nicole Mokeme – who worked leading outdoor retreats for young people of color – always tried to get her to come on trips, Machar said. When Mokeme was killed in 2022 during a retreat to Acadia National Park, Machar wanted to understand her friend’s passion – and #WEOUTSIDE was born.

“When (Mokeme) passed away, it really started getting me thinking about the space I occupy, because I knew I wanted to go visit where she was, where she spent some of her last moments,” Machar said. “And that was unfamiliar to me.”

Now in its second year, #WEOUTSIDE groups have explored the woods from Portland to Allagash and everywhere in between. Maine Association for New Americans has also launched a sister program called #WeOutsideWomen, offering self-care retreats for women from immigrant families.

Marieta Fuca, the association’s community wellness partner, said #WEOUTSIDE proves that helping others is possible – even just by giving them space to disconnect.

“Migration itself is a huge stressor, and when you have no financial means to meet your own needs, that can make that stress or burden even worse,” Fuca said. “And the outdoors is something that is absolutely free and accessible.”

It’s an effort to help new Mainers be proud to call the state “home.”

“You’re sowing a seed, because this young child can be an ambassador, a passionate ambassador … that plants a generational seed within their communities that starts to give Maine’s outdoors a little more color,” Machar said.