Spring Step Teams
Are you hoping to spend your gap year or your career break making a meaningful difference? Do you have a heart for serving God's global church?
Join one of Latin Link's Spring Step teams, and travel half-way across the world to experience and participate in God's mission plan for his local church in Latin America or Spain.
What is Spring Step?
Spring Step is a 4-month team mission programme, designed to be an exciting introduction to cross-cultural mission. In groups of 4-10, our teams serve two community projects in either one or two of our partner countries thoughtfully selected by Latin Link’s long term members. Projects are practical, such as working on construction projects or in education initiatives, and are always based alongside a local church. By living together with the community they serve, Step teams are immersed in the life, language and cultural rhythms of the Latin Church.
Duration: 4 months (March to early July)
Team size: 4-10 members
Placement: Serve two community projects, spending two months in each. Projects are either in different countries or different locations in the same country.
Accomodation: Step teams stay right in the heart of the community they’ve serving; living together as a team either at the project base, in the church building or with members of the church. Latin Americans are extremely hospitable, but as teams go to areas with greater economic need, you should expect accommodation to be cosy and fairly basic!
Spring 2026
Applications for our Spring Step programme 2026 are now open!
Email Jemima at step@latinlink.org.uk to find out how to apply.
After recieving your application, we’ll invite you to a Step Information Day, alongside other applicants. This is a chance to find out more specific details about Step and meet us for an informal interview.
Application deadline: December 2025
Fundraising
We encourage each Step applicant to meet a specific financial target for their time away. This amount is a contribution towards the cost of running the Step programme and your participation in it.
We do not want the personal financial contribution to be a stumbling block for anyone keen to serve in Latin America; therefore we look to support those who may find it genuinely difficult to meet this target.
What does your contribution cover?
- Orientation before departure (residential)
- Country specific training and materials
- Food and accommodation
- Health clearance and medical advice
- Project set-up and supervision
- Residential debrief weekend
- Comprehensive insurance cover
- Project material, e.g. bricks, paint, wood, cement etc.
- Admin costs – DBS, application process, resources etc.
What's not covered?
- Return flights
- Vaccinations – some of them cost money
- Pre-departure UK travel – we usually book flights from London so you all fly out together as a team
- Personal spending money
How much of my contribution will go directly to the project I am working with?
Latin Link commits to giving a minimum of £400, of the total amount raised by each individual, directly to the project that you will be working with. This money will go towards things such as building materials, paint, crafts, books and teaching equipment, toys, games etc, and is used during the time your team are on the project, so you’ll get to see where it goes.
What are the key dates?
- Residential orientation: February in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
- Departing: Early March
- Returning: Early July
- Residential debrief: Late August/early September
Orientation
We think it is of utmost importance to prepare our volunteers well for cross-cultural serving and so hold a compulsory “Orientation” training for all Step members, one month prior to your departure. It is a residential weekend (Thursday-Sunday) in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham in February.
Extend your adventure
Latin America is a vast and exciting place! Many of our Step teams make the most of being on the other side of the world and extend their travels after they have finished their placement. You could complete the five-day trek to Machu Picchu in Peru, visit the salt lakes of Bolivia, relax on the beaches in Cuba, plus do much, much more.
Any additional travel is the responsibility of the applicant: this includes all extra costs that you may incur. Latin Link will arrange your flights to accommodate any additional travel.
Want to know more? Get in touch!
Our team are here to help you with any and all questions you have about Step!
Call us: 0118 957 100
Email us:
England & Wales: step@latinlink.org.uk Scotland: Scotland@latinlink.org.uk Ireland: ireland@latinlink.org.uk
Terms and conditions
Feel free to contact us for more information on our terms and conditions, or click here to read our full booking conditions.
Code of Best Practice
Latin Link is recognised by Global Connections as operating under the Code of Best Practice in Short-Term Mission 2019–20.
