the gutsy team

Aram Aflatuni

Executive Director

aram@gutsygo.fi
+358405871583

Aram is an internationally awarded producer, trainer, and expert in social development projects. He has over 30 years of experience in educational initiatives promoting peace and inclusion among children and youth in more than 10 countries, in collaboration with government bodies, NGOs, the police, and media organizations.

Aflatuni has had a long career in media as a TV journalist and CEO, producing socially impactful content for audiences in the millions – from conflict zones to major entertainment productions. Formats created by his team have been localized in several countries and have received major recognitions, including the C21’s Best Multiplatform Format Award, the European Crime Prevention Award, and the Finnish State Award for Public Information.

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Johanna Mäkitalo

Executive Producer
johanna@gutsygo.fi

Johanna has over 20 years of experience in national TV and media productions, with a special focus on creating socially impactful content, developing concepts, and managing production processes. As part of a team, she has won the Golden Venla award.

She holds degrees in cultural production and media production. Johanna is also in the process of graduating as a specialist in nature-based impacts and resource efficiency.

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Mikko Vehmas

Finance and Strategy, Trainer

Mikko is an experienced teacher, as well as a serial entrepreneur and Doctor of Forest Sciences. He has worked for over a decade in the corporate world as a systems designer, while also coordinating and training the international TFP youth education program across 15 countries.

Vehmas has conducted biodiversity research as the first in the world to utilize laser scanning technology. He also has a background as a professional athlete, having been part of the Nokia Adventure Team in adventure sports.

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Pedram Aflatuni

Media Production, Education

pedram@gutsygo.fi
+358406726226

Pedram is a community educator and an award-winning media creator. He has been involved in developing the method since 2016 and has trained hundreds of teachers in Finland, as well as in Estonia and Latvia as part of an Erasmus+ project.

Pedram has directed numerous Gutsy Go media productions, with the best ones recognized with Shortland Media Awards. He is also a recipient of the Finnish State Award for Public Information. In addition, Pedram has worked as a professional musician for nearly two decades.

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Hanna-Mari Aflatuni

Head of Training

hanna-mari@gutsygo.fi

Hanna-Mari is a drama pedagogue and expert in speech communication, with over 25 years of experience working in schools. She has also produced educational materials and training programs for international educational organizations in Europe and the Caucasus.
In addition, Hanna-Mari is a certified midwife and has worked not only in clinical practice but also as a trainer for HUS (Helsinki University Hospital) and as a crisis work partner for the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Armenia.

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Leevi Pere

Media assistent

Leevi has completed a vocational qualification in audiovisual media and works supporting the Gutsy Go media team in filming, editing, and publishing.

As a professional dancer, he has over ten years of experience in street dance as a group instructor, in TV productions, and on large stages such as SuomiLove, the Elämä Lapselle concert, and Ruisrock.

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Liina-Maria Pelkkala

Production Coordinator
liina-maria@gutsygo.fi

Liina-Maria has worked as a screenwriter in TV productions for over five years, and her team has won the Golden Venla award three times. In addition, she has served as a literary art instructor for children, youth, and seniors, and has worked in a library in roles focused on promoting literacy and customer service.

She graduated as a Bachelor of Culture and Arts from the Degree Programme in Film and Television, and also has studies in Finnish literature and creative writing. In her free time, she is pursuing a Master’s degree (UAS) in TV screenwriting.

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Pihla Korhonen

Media and Education Assistant

Pihla Korhonen is a professional photographer and a versatile media specialist who has worked for several years as Gutsy’s young expert in various assignments and media productions. She has represented the program at numerous events, including the Parliament’s Committee for the Future and events in cooperation with Sitra.

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Ruusu Heikkilä

Trainer
ruusu@gutsygo.fi

Ruusu is a subject teacher with several years of experience working in a comprehensive school. She has practical experience in the daily life of primary and lower secondary education, as well as insight into various phenomena within the school world. While working as a teacher, Ruusu has served as a Gutsy coach and led the Gutsy elective subject for upper secondary school students.

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Network of experts

Emilia Laurila

Student, Media and Visual Expression

Emilia is a student of media and visual expression who has worked as a coach and media assistant in several Gutsy Go projects. Her civic engagement began already during her school years, when she served as a peer tutor, Verso mediator, and member of the Youth Parliament. Emilia has also represented the Gutsy method at a hearing in the Parliament’s Committee for the Future.

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Heini Salopelto

Pedagogue and educator

With twenty years of experience as a secondary school English language and special needs teacher under her belt, Heini is a highly versatile educator and training developer, who has assisted a wide variety of learners. Heini’s passion for amateur dramatics has given her an opportunity to engage in acting, and in directing and producing plays.
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Onni Aflatuni

Student, Educational Sciences

Onni is a student of educational sciences at the University of Helsinki and has been involved in developing and testing the Gutsy Go method since its founding. He has worked in social development projects both in Finland and internationally and has served as a coach for youth teams in several Gutsy Go projects. In addition, he has represented the projects in national media as well as in Parliament.

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Soheila Mikkonen

Executive Producer and Developer

Soheila Mikkonen is an innovative and creative producer, journalist-screenwriter, communications professional, and solution-focused coach. She specializes in multiplatform content creation and hybrid events, with a passion for ideating media products that accelerate learning.

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Amir Hajizadeh

Physical Education Teacher, School Coach

Amir is an experienced education professional and long-time physical education teacher who has trained Gutsy Go method teachers for several years. He also belongs to a rare group of Finnish international football referees and serves as a referee in Finland’s top leagues for the Football Association.

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Hoda Saastamoinen

Pedagogical Expert

Hoda is a versatile professional in teaching and educational development, with over ten years of teaching experience spanning comprehensive school, secondary education, and higher education. She is dedicated to advancing the education of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds and has worked in five different countries. At Gutsy Go, Hoda has served as a school coach and contributed to the development of Gutsy Go’s educational materials.
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Oskari Santalahti

Security Officer

Oskari has served as an expert in numerous Gutsy Go projects and brainstorming sessions. Back in the day, during Activity Week in eighth grade, he decided to undertake a bold project by reaching out to a neighbor who had been out of the loop.
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Gutsy go Coordinators

Suvi Kankaanpää

Special Education Teacher, Helsinki

Suvi is an age-positive special education teacher and Gutsy Go coach who works closely with young people. Her specialty lies in gentle, encouraging interactions with youth and an inspiring approach to her work. The best part of working with young people, Suvi says, is the energy she gets from them!
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Marianne Westerlund

Community coordinator, Espoo

Marianne works at a comprehensive school to promote the well-being of young people. She has been praised for being approachable and treating everyone equally. Marianne always has room for both tears and laughter. She is a safe and trusted adult who genuinely wants to help members of the school community.
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Heini Kaistinen

Guidance Counselor, Espoo

Elli Vähätalo

Guidance Counselor, Espoo

Elli is a deep thinker who values holistic well-being—both in her work with young people and in her own life. What gives her life meaning is helping others, meaningful encounters, and personal growth. Elli works as a guidance counselor at a comprehensive school.
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Jenni Hipsi

Language Teacher, Porvoo

Jenni is a cheerful education professional who, as a language teacher, finds inspiration particularly in connecting with her students and fostering the joy of learning. She actively works in educational development groups to promote inclusion and build a sense of community.
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About Us

Gutsy Go ry is a non-profit association responsible for implementing the method in cooperation with local education and youth services. The intellectual property rights of the operating model are owned by the social enterprise Gutsy Media Oy.

During our operations, we have coached nearly 10,000 young people and teachers face-to-face to build trust, wellbeing and connections between people in their own communities. Together, young people have implemented 1000 peace-strengthening solutions in 20 different urban locations, from individual neighborhoods and districts to whole city operations. Videos documenting young people’s community solutions have reached 1.5 million Finns through the media.

Background

Gutsy School was first implemented in autumn 2016 in Forssa as part of a community mediation model aimed at addressing a wave of group fights in the city. In 2017, Gutsy School won Finland’s largest innovation competition organised by Finnish foundations, Builders of the Century, which sought a scalable, high-impact solution to strengthen young people’s social participation and wellbeing.

Gutsy School’s activities are funded by Finnish foundation partners and municipalities. In addition, funding has been received from the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish National Agency for Education. Expert and collaboration partners have included, among others, the Ministry of Justice, Parliament, the Finnish Youth Research Society, Duodecim, the Finnish Red Cross, Yle, and various companies.

Gutsy Go has been awarded the State Prize for Public Information, the European Crime Prevention Award as part of the community mediation model, several Shortland video awards, and the Taitaja award for preventive substance abuse work.

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