Hillary Platt, a Voorhees resident, has been conducting healthy relationship programs at the Voorhees Middle School for the past two years. Little did she know, this would lead to her hosting her own radio program, which she began doing on June 11.
Platt has a background in domestic abuse, working as a case coordinator for Project SARAH. She is passionate about raising awareness for domestic abuse, which she believes begins in the teenage years.
“In dealing with victims of domestic abuse, they are amazed when we can trace the abuse back to their teens years,” Platt said. “If we can educate teenagers to recognize abuse at such a young age, there will be a much smaller percentage of adults who are abused.”
Platt is proud of the programs she puts on at the middle school. She designs the programs to not only educate the students about abuse, but to show them services available for those who are being abused.
“The first step I’m trying to teach the kids is to recognize abuse,” she said. “But the more important part is showing them that there is help out there.”
As a result of these programs, Platt was asked to be a guest on the Talk Exchange radio program “The Fine Point” to discuss domestic abuse. After her guest appearance, Platt was asked if she would be interested in hosting her own program.
“I didn’t know what to think,” she said. “Of course I said yes, but I’d never hosted my own program before. But, I knew it was an opportunity to reach a larger audience.”
Her show is called “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” and it airs Wednesdays at 3 p.m. The guest on her initial show was Kathy Freiss, the program coordinator on human trafficking for the state Attorney General’s Office. Her second guest was Margo Viola, author of “Cracked Shell, Whole Yoke,” a true story about domestic abuse.
“I really want my guests to be people who have first-hand experience with domestic abuse,” Platt said. “Whether they work for organizations designed to stop it or have experienced it themselves, I want listeners to hear from people they can relate to.”
While she sees the radio program as an opportunity to educate, she also understands this is an issue that needs to continuously be talked about. Both in schools and on the radio, Platt wants to keep pushing forward with her message.
“The more people hear about domestic abuse, the less shame they feel,” she said. “It’s great educating teens and adults, but they will stay in abusive relationships until they realize they’re not the only ones this is happening to. At the very least, I hope my programs spark conversations and make those affected feel less ashamed about the abuse.”
Platt has not announced her next guest and will continue hosting “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” on Talk Exchange radio at 3 p.m. on Wednesdays.To listen, visit www.talkexchangeradio.com.
