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Facilitator Cheat Sheet
Uncover is a visual conversation tool. Participants browse 30 photographs and pick the ones that resonate — revealing patterns about how they move through the world, what they're protecting, and what they need.
Format: 20–30 minutes · Groups of 4–8 · Phones or printed photo grid
Session Flow
1
Set up (2 min) — Everyone opens Uncover on their phone, or lay the printed photo grid on the table. Briefly explain: "You'll see 4 questions. For each one, pick 3 photos that resonate. Trust your gut."
2
Pick photos (10 min) — Read each question aloud. Give 2 minutes to browse and pick. Move through all 4 questions before discussing.
3
Share & discuss (10–15 min) — Go back through each question. Invite 2–3 people to share what they picked and why. Use the conversation prompts on the question cards. Don't force anyone — "pass" is always okay.
4
Close (5 min) — Ask the group: "What surprised you?" Then do a one-word check-out — each person shares one word for how they're feeling.
Facilitator Tips
Silence is normal. After reading a question, give people space. Don't rush to fill the quiet — they're processing.
If someone gets emotional. Acknowledge it simply: "Thank you for sharing that." Don't try to fix it or move on too fast. Let it land.
"Pass" is always okay. Never force anyone to share. The exercise works even if someone only shares on one question.
Question 2 is the heaviest. "What do you carry that nobody sees?" often surfaces real pain — homesickness, loneliness, grief. Be ready for it. Go slow.
Share your own picks first. Vulnerability invites vulnerability. When you go first with honesty, you give permission.
This is not therapy. If something heavy comes up: "Thank you for sharing that. Would you want to explore that more with someone?" Know your limits and have referral resources ready.
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Photo Grid
Print this page and lay it on the table — participants point to or call out numbers. Or project it on a screen.
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Going Deeper: A Facilitator's Guide
Uncover uses a layers framework — the idea that we all have different layers inside us. Some protect, some carry pain, some hold joy. These images help surface those layers without forcing anyone to name them directly.
Curiosity, not interpretation. Ask "what drew you to this?" — never "I think this means you're..." Let them lead.
Name the cultural weight. If someone is far from home, acknowledge it: "That sounds like it carries something." Don't minimize what distance costs.
Question two is the heart. "What you carry but rarely show" surfaces the deepest layers. Go slow. Sit with whatever comes up.
Share your own picks first. Vulnerability invites vulnerability. When you go first with honesty, you give permission.
Point toward committed community. This tool opens doors. What matters is what happens next — a group, a friendship, a place to belong.
This is not therapy. It's a conversation starter. If something heavy surfaces: "Thank you for sharing that. Would you want to explore that more with someone?" Know your limits.
For Faith-Based Settings
Lament. Psalm 42 ("My tears have been my food day and night") and Psalm 137 ("How can we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?") are natural companions to Question 2. Let people sit in the ache before rushing to resolution.
Prayer. After Question 4, invite the group to hold their "wholeness" images and pray — for themselves, for each other. Let the images become prayers.
Being known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 ("Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known") and Psalm 139 speak to the ache of wholeness. We are fully known — and fully loved.
Scripture touchpoints. Genesis 12 (Abram leaving home), Ruth (loyalty across cultures), the exile psalms, Jesus as sojourner ("Foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" — Matt 8:20). These texts meet people where the images take them.