Bahamian playing cards win JA Product of the Year

Bahamian playing cards win JA Product of the Year
Bahamian playing cards created by Junior Achievement company BTC Glitch feature the country’s four prime ministers as king cards.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — After 15 weeks of learning the business ropes, a group of junior achievers was announced the winner of Product of the Year.

In third place for this year’s Junior Achievement (JA) was Bank of The Bahamas JA company “Vision”, with their “I Guud” COVID kits; followed by second place winners Commonwealth Bank JA company “XLeaders”, with scented hand sanitizers.

Four governors general are featured as ace cards.

However, rounding out the competition in first place was BTC JA company “BTC Glitch”, with their winning product — Bahamian playing cards.

BTC Glitch President Camille Mitchell, a 12th grade student at Anatol Rodgers High School who is now in her fourth and final year of the program, said she was honored to be given the opportunity to serve in such capacity.

“As president of BTC Glitch, I was elated that this product, once only an innovate dream, has now blossomed and become our own reality,” she said. “As we celebrate our Black History Month, we pay homage to the exceptional figures featured on these cards.”

The deck, which includes two Joker cards of legendary Junkanooers Percy “Vola” Francis and Winston “Gus” Cooper, comes complete with 52 other Bahamian icons, hailing from fields from music, sports and art to uniformed branches, politics and education.

Isaiah Strachan, a 12th grade student at St John’ College, explained: “We had a group who chose the aces, a group who chose the Junkanooers, a group who chose the jacks and kings and queens. I did the aces because the governor general is someone who is appointed by the queen and I feel like they’re at the highest rank and inspired me the most.”

Along with the four aces, which feature four of The Bahamas’ governors general, the deck includes: the nation’s four prime ministers as the four kings; Dame Doris Johnson, Dame Janet Bostwick, Rome Italia Johnson and Cynthia Pratt as the four queens; and Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, Sir Randol Fawkes, Mary Ingraham and Georgianna Symonette as the four jacks. Trailblazers such as Ronnie Butler, Amos Ferguson, James Catalyn, Priscilla Rollins, Tonique Williams-Darling, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle and a host of others complete the numeral cards.

Normally, one JA year would last 25 weeks and feature an outdoor networking open house at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. However, due to COVID-19 protocols, this year was reduced to 15 weeks and saw its first virtual open house. Members from each of the seven JA companies had to present their product on Facebook and in person to a panel of judges, with a 15-minute break between each group’s presentation.

Bahamian playing cards created by Junior Achievement company BTC Glitch feature iconic Bahamian figures.

Team BTC Glitch was announced the winner on Monday, February 22, for both People’s Choice and Product of the Year.

De’Andre Forbes, a 10th grade student at St Augustine’s College, said: “As the vice president of finance, it was my job to assess the company’s financial position and determine if risks were worth taking. Winning Product of the Year validated all our time, collective efforts and is proof that when a group of great minds works together, great things follow.”

To date, the company has sold 350 decks of cards.

The cards, which are $10 per deck, will only be available for purchase until March 2, as the product will be off the market until the new JA year begins in September.

They can be paid for via Commonwealth Bank (account number 3004032); in person at Saint John’s College; or by contacting Strachan at isaiah.strachan@sjcbahamas.org.