This article explores two elements present in Paulo Freire´s- Pedagogy of the oppressed and pedagogy of hope- which provide alternatives to reflect on exercising human rights in higher education settings, specifically the case of the Institucion Universitaria de Envigado (IUE). The notions that allow the structure of such dimension are: the introductory concept of a horizontal pedagogy that does not allow traditional imbalances in the professor-student relationship, the capacity of creating a university community through reflection, in this case on human rights; self conditioning and silence as methodological challenges; narratives as a mechanism to promote awareness; the practical and concrete consequences of the transformation based on reflection; Freire´s objections to the focal method and the reinterpretation of it; as well as its inclusion as a link between theory and pedagogical practices. Finally, there is a new pedagogical dimension on human rights as a transformation of the community reality at the Institucion Universitaria de Envigado (IUE).