The NTI STARR Hunt with BiP concluded on Thursday, October 7 with the presentation to bonus prize winner, Camille Goring. She was the first to scan the physical pin at the last clue location, Starcom, River Road, and capture $5 000.
The hunt, which ran for 30 exciting days, was led by The National Transformation Initiative (NTI), in partnership with Starcom Network Inc and BiP. The campaign challenged Barbadians to find specific locations using mobile technology, all the while, indirectly changing their perceptions of learning in Barbados.
In her remarks, Goring thanked the NTI and its partners for allowing her to participate in what she called an amazing and exciting experience: “It was an educational journey, and I am proud to say that I have actually learnt a lot about Barbados during this time.” This was Goring’s first win of the competition.
Lauding Goring’s 12 successful hunts in qualifying for the final hunt on October 1, Director of the NTI, Dr. Allyson Leacock, encouraged her to keep learning with the NTI. This, Dr. Leacock explained, would start with Goring’s enrolment in the NTI’s flagship Citizenship Course as well as the Coursera Social Impact Scholarship.
At the closing ceremony, Marcelle Greenidge, Assistant Director, Coursera, Communications and Client Success, highlighted the NTI’s approach to the campaign and explained that their objectives included raising awareness of the nti.org.bb website, attracting new learners to the learning platform, and creating an enjoyable learning experience. Between August 22 and October 1, there were 17 000 page views from over 10 000 unique visitors, who were attracted to the website, and 1.4 million impressions of NTI digital and social media promotions. This reflected the efforts of the NTI, the combined stations of Starcom Network – VOB 92.9FM, HOTT 95.3FM, The BEAT 104.1FM and LIFE 97.5FM – and Digicel, through the BiP app.
Digicel’s Digital Manager, Bernadette Chikowore-Jemmott and Starcom Network’s Advertising Sales Co-ordinator, Keena Gardier both expressed their appreciation for being a part of the campaign. Gardier labelled the NTI STARR Hunt as a “very exciting campaign”, adding, “We actually made learning fun!”
Each day from August 23 to September 30, Barbadians received clues and the chance to win daily $500 rewards for identifying specific locations around the island. On reaching the correct location, they had to take a selfie by the BiP drop pin, and tag @NTISTARRBajan and @DigicelBarbados. To have been eligible for the grand prize of $5 000 on October 1, contestants needed to have at least ten successful posts at the locations.