Welcome to the June 2026 Lunchtime Learning Extended
Supporting Immigrant Youth in Juvenile Court
Resources:
The Gault Center’s Immigration Training Page
Rapid Response Networks, Hotlines, and Resources
Mutual Aid Hub – communities providing material support for one another
I AM HERE: Vital Document Legal Hotline for Youth – legal assistance to obtain documentation
Immigration Advocates Network Directory – list of nonprofit immigration legal services
United We Dream – immigrant youth-led network
Topic: Supporting Immigrant Youth in Juvenile Court
Summary: This training will offer practical and concrete steps for juvenile court system professionals to support immigrant youth facing juvenile court involvement. This training will provide an overview of common forms of immigration relief for noncitizen youth including Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U visas, and T visas and how various system professionals can assist youth in obtaining these forms of relief. In addition, this training will also walk through practice guides for youth defenders, juvenile court judges, and probation officers that outline opportunities each role can play to ensure safe and equitable access to courtrooms for all youth, regardless of immigration status and circumstances beyond a young person's control. Lastly, this training will offer immigration resources for participants to share with youth in their practice.
Speaker Bio’s:
HyeJi Kim (she, her) is a Senior Youth Defense Counsel at the Gault Center, where she works to strengthen youth rights by upholding the fundamental right to counsel for all youth who come into contact with the juvenile legal system. HyeJi dreams of one day living in a world where all children are free to thrive in communities of care and is driven by the belief that our humanity is interdependent—that in the words of Desmond Tutu, “my humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours.” HyeJi’s work focuses on probation and system transformation as she works alongside the youth defense community to transform systems of harm and punishment from the inside. HyeJi first worked as a fellow at the Gault Center, followed by the Legal Aid Society in New York City where she represented children and youth caught between the family regulation and delinquency systems. HyeJi returned to the Gault Center in 2022 and finds joy being in community with youth defenders to uphold and strengthen youth rights together. HyeJi graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and summa cum laude from the George Washington University. HyeJi is a lifelong student of emergence, wholeness, and interdependence.
Patrick Helling (he, him) is the Director of Legal Services at the Migrant & Immigrant Community Action Project. He has experience in both juvenile and immigration law. Patrick started this career path in 2010 when he joined the Peace Corps – Honduras as a Youth Development Volunteer. Patrick’s Peace Corps experience inspired him to become an immigration attorney and he graduated from Saint Louis University - School of Law in 2015. Patrick then began working at the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project in Arizona where he specialized in representing unaccompanied minors in federal immigration custody. After returning to Missouri, Patrick worked at the Department of Social Services, Children’s Division where he advocated for children in foster care to find a safe home. He has been with the MICA Project since 2021 and continues to defend children facing deportation.
The Impact of Past and Present Issues on Today’s Youth
Powerpoint Part 2
Topic: The Impact of Past and Present Issues on Today’s Youth
Summary: This discussion highlights the historical foundations and the contemporary social movements that are believed to influence the behavior of today’s youth. In addition to the effects of the historical events, including cultural mythology, today’s youth are confronted with over-stimulation from social media, national political and social uncertainty, and other issues that trigger trauma and result in aberrant behavior.
Speaker Bio’s:
Juanita M. Cleaver Simmons, PhD, currently serves as Diversity Consultant for the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association’s stopRED (stop Racial and Ethnic Disparities) Division. She is Senior Diversity Consulting Partner with Atlanta-based Talent Management Consultants, LLC. She specializes in training and designs for diversity, equity, climate, workplace civility and inclusion. She is the former Vice President of DEI at Northwest Missouri State University. She was awarded emerita associate professor at the University of Missouri Columbia, where she served in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis division of the College of Education.
Summer Johnson is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of children and families. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO in 1998 and earned her Master of Arts Degree from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology in Atlanta, GA in 2001. She completed her doctorate (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2006 at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, MO. She has served on the board of the Missouri Psychological Association as the Student Affairs Chairperson and the Diversity Chairperson. She has worked primarily within the nonprofit sector, with much of her time being spent within federally qualified health centers working with families of color. She has supervised psychological trainees and medical students, serving as a mentor to practicum students, interns, and postdoctoral professionals within St. Louis City and St. Charles County. Dr. Johnson has respecialized in forensic psychology and now works for the St. Louis County Family Court.