As Joey Goulet, 5, swam toward one end of a swimming pool, his swimming partner, Zack Martin, 16, offered words of encouragement.

“Come on buddy, keep going,” said Zack as he, too, moved closer to the end of the pool. “You’re going to beat me, pal.”

Joey is a participant in Different Strokes, a swimming program at the Salem Boys & Girls Club.

Developed for children ages 3 to 8 who can’t participate in regular swimming lessons, it gives participants a chance to learn to swim – or at least enjoy the water – once a week with help from a teenage partner.

“The progress some of these kids have made in the water is incredible,” said Missy Rowell, the club’s aquatics director, as she watched Joey during the program’s Friday, Oct. 12, session.

When Joey, who is developmentally disabled, joined the program last spring, he wouldn’t swim without two things – a flotation device called a bubble that was strapped around him, and a long foam flotation toy known as a noodle.

Thanks to his experience in the program and swimming lessons he took over the summer, Joey recently swam halfway down the pool without one of the flotation devices and is now jumping into the pool by himself.

There are currently about 10 Different Strokes participants and they include children with Down Syndrome, developmental delays, autism, chromosome disorders and cerebral palsy.

“We run the gamut,” Rowell said.

Most of the teen volunteers are members of the Keystone Club, the Salem Boys & Girls Club’s teen leadership program.

The participants have varying levels of ability. Some cling to their partners. Some move about freely. One severely disabled girl must be held up in the water.

“It’s great for them both physically and socially,” said Rowell. “And it’s great for the teens. They’re learning more about the different disabilities.”

The current session is running only five weeks, but Rowell intends to run it in eight-week sessions. She charges a low fee, and hopes to secure grant money to help cover costs.

It’s a program that has proved to be popular. There is a waiting list of kids who want to participate.

As his mother Peggy watched him, Jonathan Plourde, 6, jumped into the pool and grabbed hold of a noodle.

The Methuen, Mass., boy has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism. Kids with AS have difficulty with social interaction.

Plourde said that during a vacation, she saw some emerging swimming skills in her son. She hopes Jonathan will develop skills so that he can eventually be part of a swimming team.

“I like these types of programs,” Plourde said. “I think it will be very important to him.”

Stacy Burns likes the program, too. Her son, Ryann, 6, has speech delay and sensory issues. This is Ryann’s second experience with the program and he is benefitting from the one-on-one assistance.

“It’s been a great experience for them,” said Stacy. “There’s not a lot of programs out there for kids with special needs.”

Along with Keith Beal, 13, Ryann played with toys in the water and was beginning to learn how to do the backstroke.

“He’s learning how to swim and it helps to have his partner helping him and guiding him,” said Stacy.

Then she added with a smile: “They always listen to someone other than their parents.”